Cars: Downunder
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: Sequel to Goodbye Doc! It is 2014 and, surprisingly, Lightning is bored with the Piston Cup! So when he's invited to race in the Australian V8 Supercars Enduro Cup, he eagerly accepts the invitation without knowing quite what to expect. Will Lightning be able to take the heat of racing in Australia? Or will he quit halfway through?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. Also, Leyland Dane is NOT related to Leyland Turbo. They are completely separate characters. **

Chapter 1

**June 2014**

A deafening roar rose up from the Sonoma Raceway, California. Half of it came from the crowd in the grandstands and infield; the other half came from the V8 engines of forty-three race cars who were giving their all to race for Piston Cup points in the warm afternoon heat.

Up in the main grandstand, a red 1975 Mark 1 Vauxhall Cavalier was shown into the Dinoco private box. Turning, Tex smiled at the newcomer.

"Leyland! Come in! It's nice to see you again."

Leyland Dane rolled over to Tex, parking beside him in front of the large window overlooking the racetrack. The oil millionaire and racing team owner watched as the racers passed over the start/finish line, completing yet another lap.

"I'm glad you could make it," Tex said, smiling at his guest.

"So am I," Leyland replied. "I can't stay long though. My flight leaves at seven o'clock tonight."

"How is everythin' goin' with the Triple Eight Race Engineering team?"

"We're better known as Redbulldozer Racing Australia these days, thanks to my management team securing that sponsor a two years ago. It was huge coup for us. It's going great though. Jamie's well on track to winning another championship this year. I was hoping Craig would rise to the challenge this year, but he's just not finding the speed he needs to keep up with the youngsters. My main concern is finding him a decent co-racer for the Enduro Cup that's starting in September. His usual co-racer crashed in a race last month, putting him out of the rest of the year. I'm really starting to get desperate about finding a replacement for him. By the way, how's Jimmy going for you?"

"He's a good, consistent racer. Unfortunately, even he can't match Lightning McQueen for speed and endurance. We've done everything we can to get Jimmy as fit and agile as possible, but Lightning's obviously got something better under his hood. It's nothing illegal though, because the officials keep clearing him to race."

"How many Piston Cups has he won now?"

"Uh…six. He missed out in 2011 after the World Grand Prix controversy. It really shook him up badly. Psychologically, I mean. He finished a close second though. He's well on track to winning his seventh Piston Cup this year."

"Hmmm… Is there any chance of being able to talk to his team owners?"

"Easy. They're in the box next door. May I ask what's on your mind?"

"I think I've just found Jamie's co-racer," Leyland smiled. "Can you arrange a meeting, please?"

About ten minutes later, Rusty and Dusty entered the Dinoco box, looking somewhat confused at being asked to join Tex.

"Come in, Rusty and Dusty," Tex invited warmly. "I'd like you to meet Leyland Dane."

After pleasantries were exchanged, Leyland got straight to the point.

"I'm the owner and crew chief of Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia; better known as Redbulldozer Racing Australia. Every year, as part of the V8 Supercar races, we have a smaller championship known as the Enduro Cup. It involves three of our longest races – the Sandown five hundred, the Bathurst one thousand, and the Gold Coast six-hundred. The racer with the highest number of points after those three racers wins the Enduro Cup, and the points are also counted towards the overall championship."

"That sounds very interesting," Rusty interrupted, "but what's that got to do with us?"

"The Enduro Cup is done with co-racers," Leyland patiently explained. "I have two racers on my team. You might have heard of them? Jamie Win-Cup and Craig Louds?"

Rusty and Dusty shook their hoods.

"Well, anyway, Craig is in desperate need of a co-racer for the up-coming Enduro Cup. Normally, we'd have the co-racers sorted out at the beginning of the year, but Craig's co-racer was badly injured in a race last month. Since then, I've been struggling to find a racer who is willing to come to Australia for two months in September and October. Most don't want to give up on their chances of winning their respective championships. I'm not the kind of car who beats around the bush, so I'm just going to be straight with you. I want to hire Lightning McQueen to be Craig's co-racer in the Enduro Cup."

Rusty and Dusty exchanged uncertain glances. After a moment, Dusty asked, "What's in it for Lightning?"

"The chance to race in the hardest Touring Car championship in the world. If you think the Piston Cup and the World Grand Prix are hard, you should see the V8 Supercars. They race on some of the hardest racetracks in the world, including Mount Panorama and the Gold Coast street circuit. And the Enduro Cup is the pinnacle event. Once a racer's won the Enduro Cup, they're pretty much the best racer in the world. It isn't called the V8_ Supercars_ for no reason."

"If the Enduro Cup is so fantastic, how come we've never heard of it?" Rusty asked.

"Because it only started last year," Leyland replied, looking a bit disappointed. He was doing his best to get international racers interested in the V8 Supercars, but most just weren't interested because it was in Australia. They seemed to think that Australian racing wasn't worth the bother. Feeling despondent, Leyland started to move towards the door. He'd never find a co-racer for Craig at this rate. "I guess I'll just have to tell Craig that he won't be able to race in the Enduro Cup this year. It's such a shame, 'cause he won it so convincingly last year. He's going to be bitterly disappointed…"

"Wait a minute," Dusty said, making Leyland turn around. "Maybe… Maybe if we discuss it more, and you explain to us exactly what's involved, we might consider letting Lightning go. Of course, will have to talk it over with Lightning too, and cost is going to be a big issue…"

"All expenses paid," Leyland told them, smiling a little. "My team is the best team in the V8 Supercars. Jamie won his third V8 Supercar championship in a row last year. He's won five in total, and he's well on his way to being one of the best racers the world has ever seen. And Craig was mentored by the late Peter Brock."

Tex's eyes grew wide when Leyland mentioned Peter Brock's name. "I've heard that name before. The Australian racer here in the Piston Cup, Marcus Ambrose, has mentioned him from time to time. One of Australia's greatest racers, wasn't he?"

Leyland nodded in affirmation. "He's was just as good, if not better than your Hudson Hornet."

That made Rusty and Dusty gulp.

"The V8 Supercars also started racing at the Texas International Speedway last year," Leyland added, hoping to throw another spanner into the works. It worked. Rusty's eyes widened.

"So _that's _what that event was! I remember seeing a bit of it on RSN last month, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. It actually looked rather exciting."

Outside, the crowd began to roar excitedly, making Tex, Leyland, Rusty and Dusty look out of the window just in time to see Lightning cross the finish line in first place. Tex groaned in disbelief.

"Great! Another Piston Cup is slipping out of Jimmy's wheels!" he muttered under his breath. Nobody else seemed to hear him.

"I hate to say it," Leyland said to Rusty and Dusty, "but your Lightning looks bored out of his body! Perhaps he'll get his zest back once he races in Australia."

"Maybe," Rusty sighed.

"Maybe he does need a change," Dusty agreed. "And a decent challenge."

"He'll get one if he races in the Enduro Cup," Leyland promised. "Trust me. He won't be left disappointed."

**Please review! As an Australian author, I've been a bit tentative about writing this sequel, since most of my readers are American, so I'd greatly appreciate feedback! Thanks. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 2

Sighing indifferently, Lightning made his way through the infield towards the Rust-eze tent. He didn't want anyone to see him as he wallowed in self-pity. It wasn't that he was tired of racing; he just wanted a challenge. So far, in the past few years, none of the current Piston Cup racers had even come close to threatening him. He was finding the races monotonous, and sometimes he even considered losing a few races just to shake things up a bit. But somehow, he just couldn't do it. He might be bored with racing, but he still had his pride.

Upon entering the Rust-eze tent, Lightning found the usual motely crowd of rusty cars waiting for him. He didn't resent them as much as he used to, but this afternoon, he just wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

As the crowd of rusty cars started congratulating him on his win, Lightning noticed something.

"Hey, where are Rusty and Dusty?" he asked.

The rusty cars shrugged in unison. Lightning groaned silently. Just then, Mater entered the tent.

"Hey, bud! Yer bosses an' Tex wanna see ya in der Dinoco box."

Lightning raised an eyelid in surprise. After all his years of racing, he had rarely been invited into a private box. Wondering what was going on, Lightning followed Mater out of the tent.

A few minutes later, Lightning and Mater entered the Dinoco box.

"Hey," Lightning said, greeting Tex, Rusty and Dusty. He looked curiously at Leyland Dane. Having learned not to interfere with Lightning when it came to racing, Mater hung back near the door.

"Lightnin', this is a good friend of mine, Leyland Dane," Tex said, introducing them.

Leyland began moving slowly around Lightning, studying him closely.

"It's, uh…nice to meet you, Mr Dane," Lightning said awkwardly. He didn't like the way Leyland was looking at him.

Leyland stopped circling Lightning, and he turned his attention back to Rusty and Dusty. "I was right. What you have here is one very bored racer."

"Uh, excuse me!" Lightning scowled. "But I don't like being ignored like a child!"

"Ah! I see he still has some of the old spark there! Lightning, you are exactly what I need!"

"For what?"

With a broad grin on his face, Leyland began to tell Lightning all about the Enduro Cup. Lightning listened with keen interest.

"I know about the V8 Supercars," Lightning said once Leyland had finished. Rusty and Dusty looked surprised, so Lightning explained. "I met one of their racers, 'Frosty' Mark Winterbottom, a few years ago when he came to watch Marcus race. I met him again at the World Grand Prix, but he was only there to watch."

"The V8 Supercars officials refused to let any of our racers attend the World Grand Prix, because it clashed with the final race of our season," Leyland explained. "In hindsight, that was probably the best decision they've ever made, although nobody thought so at the time. And I can imagine that 'Frosty' just wanted to gate-crash the party. That race car just can't stay away from a good party! It'll land him in serious trouble one day."

"Youse have parties in Australia?" Mater asked eagerly from the doorway.

"Mater!" Lightning hissed, reproaching his friend for interrupting.

Mater promptly bit his tongue. Lightning turned back towards Leyland.

"Why are you telling me this anyway?"

Leyland quickly explained about the situation with Craig Louds' co-racer.

"…And so I need to find another co-racer for him before the start of September, or he won't be allowed to race. The co-racer needs to be both fast and have the stamina needed to race on three of the hardest racetracks in the world."

"Will there be dirt?" Lightning asked eagerly.

"Only if you go off-road. But I wouldn't recommend that. You'll never be able to get out of the sand traps. They've stopped bigger vehicles than you! I've seen those sand traps stop Utes in their tracks!"

"What's a Ute?" Mater asked.

"It's what you Americans call a pickup."

"What would they be doing in the sand traps?" Lightning wondered.

"We do V8 Ute racing in Australia," Leyland replied, desperately trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "They're part of the pre-race entertainment. You'll get to see them race at Bathurst and the Gold Coast."

"Cool!" Mater grinned. "Hey, Mr Leyland, sir? Can I be in them there Ute races too?"

"I'm sorry, Mr…err?"

"Sorry, Mr Dane," Lightning apologised. "This is my best friend, Mater."

Leyland nodded civilly towards the tow truck. "The V8 Utes have a very strict selection criteria. But to the point at hand, Lightning, will you please accept my invitation to be Craig Louds' co-racer in the Enduro Cup?"

"Yes," Lightning instantly agreed.

"What?" Rusty exclaimed. "Lightnin', are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely! I really hate to admit it to anyone, but Mr Dane is right. I AM bored with the Piston Cup. I never thought I'd ever hear myself saying that, but it's true."

Leyland turned towards Rusty and Dusty. "I have the same problem with Jamie and Craig. All race cars get bored very easily. You need to keep things interesting for them, otherwise they turn sour on you. Whenever I see it happening to Jamie or Craig, I take the whole team out for a bit of fun, even if we have a big race the next day. It helps keep the peace and relieves all the tension. Perhaps that's why we're so successful. And I think we've caught Lightning just in time. By the time he returns to you, you'll have a different racer, I promise you."

"Um, excuse me? I'm still here," Lightning said, slightly annoyed. "You don't need to talk as though I'm not here."

"I'm sorry," Leyland apologised. "It's a bad habit of mine. I know it's annoying, but my team have learned to live with it. Anyway, thank you so much for agreeing to do this, Lightning! It means so much to the whole team; not just me. You won't regret your decision. Now, I'm afraid I'd best be going, or I'll miss my fight to Darwin. We've got a race there this weekend. Here's my card, Lightning. We'll be in touch."

"Okay, thanks. Oh, and just one more thing. Mater, my mother, Elinor, and my girlfriend, Sally, must be allowed to come with me if they want to."

"Of course. They're more than welcome to come," Leyland agreed, smiling. "I can't wait to phone Jamie and tell him the good news. Hopefully it'll motivate him to win at least one race this weekend…"

And Leyland left happily. Lightning glanced at his bosses. They didn't look too happy.

"What? I'm not giving up the Piston Cup altogether! This is only for two months! I'll only miss eight races. I can make it up in the final races when I get back."

"I suppose we'd better let you do this, if it's what you really want to do," Dusty sighed. "Just remember, you signed a contract with us."

"I know, I know! I'm not quitting on you. I'm just going on a working holiday."

That seemed to make Rusty and Dusty relax a bit.

"Okay, we'll discuss everything with Harv. But just don't go booking your flight yet, kid! There's still a lot we need to discuss before you give your final answer."

"I've already given my final answer, and I'm not a kid anymore!" Lightning retorted as he hurried out of the box. Mater quickly followed him like a loyal puppy.

"Why don't you let us be the judge of that?" Rusty sighed. "Race cars! Come along, brother."

Rusty and Dusty also left the box, leaving Tex all alone. He grinned gleefully before picking up his phone and dialling a number. It was answered after the second ring.

"Jimmy? I've just gotten Lightnin' out of the way for you. Don't ask me how I managed it, but listen. If you don't win the Piston Cup this year and put Dinoco back on top, I'm tearing up your contract, ya hear? Good. So long as we understand each other." And Tex hung up the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 3

**Early September 2014**

"Are you sure you've got everything you'll need?" Elinor asked her son for the umpteenth time. Lightning gave an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, mum! They do have shops in Australia anyway. I'll be fine."

Elinor embraced Lightning tightly. They were at the airport, and Lightning was about to depart for Australia, along with Sally and Mater. Elinor had never flown overseas before, and since even flying domestically frightened her, she'd decided not to go with them.

Ending the embrace, Elinor turned to Sally. "I'm relying on you to keep these two out of mischief."

"Don't worry, Mrs Hornet. I won't let them out of my line of sight," Sally assured her.

Lightning's phone rang then. Groaning, he answered it. "Hello?"

"Are you still at the airport?" It was Harv.

"Yes, but we're just about to board."

"Okay, take care, kid. I just spoke to Leyland, and he'll meet you at the airport. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Harv. I'll call when we arrive."

"Gotcha!" And Harv hung up the phone. Lightning switched his off.

At that moment, a voice rang out over the loudspeaker. "All passengers on Qantas flight QF0016, please make your way to gate three now. Boarding will commence in five minutes."

"That's us," Sally said. "We'd better go line up."

"There's no hurry," Lightning assured her. "I got Harv to book the whole first-class section for us."

Sally rolled her eyes. "You would!"

"Hey! Leyland's paying for everything, and he doesn't mind. Let's go. Mater! Where's he gone?"

"Uh oh! He's over at that chocolate dispenser," Elinor said.

Lightning quickly drove over to Mater, and he grabbed him by his tow hook. "They've got chocolate soufflés on board, Mater."

"Dadgum!" Mater exclaimed. "Why didn't ya say so? Let's git on board!" And Mater raced over to the boarding line.

Lightning returned to Elinor and Sally. "I wish you were coming too, mum."

"I know. Just do your best and have fun."

"I will." And Lightning gave Elinor a loving kiss on the cheek."

The loudspeakers came on again. "Qantas flight, QF0016, flying to Brisbane, Australia, is now boarding. Can the First and Business class passengers please make their way to the boarding line."

Giving his mother a final hug, Lightning followed Sally over to the boarding line. Mater was already having trouble.

"Sir, this line is only for First and Business class ticket holders," the attendant was saying. Lightning pushed his way through the line.

"Excuse me, miss, but I'll have you know that this is _Sir _Tow Mater, a personal friend to the Queen of England, and my best friend. I'm sorry if his appearance doesn't meet with your approval, but if he's good enough for me, he should be good enough for you!"

The poor attendant was almost in tears now as she recognised Lightning. "Yes, of course, Mr McQueen. Please, forgive me. I-I didn't realise… I mean, I didn't recognise who he was. Please, forgive me, Sir. I-I'll make it up to you as well as I can!"

"Just ensure you have at least ten chocolate soufflés available for Mater, and we'll forget the whole thing," Lightning said.

"Oh, I will! Please, come aboard! There'll be another attendant on the plane to show you to your seats. I hope you enjoy your flight."

As Lightning, Mater and Sally made their way down the boarding ramp, Lightning whispered to Mater, "Maybe it's time you considered having a new paint job…"

"Bu' I like bein' rusty," Mater replied in a low voice.

Lightning smiled at his friend. "In that case, forget I mentioned it."

They entered the plane, where they were shown into the first class section. Lightning let Sally have the best seat, and he settled down beside her. Mater began playing with the TV controls.

Just over half an hour later, the plane took off. As soon as everyone was allowed to move around, Lightning joined Mater in front of the TV. After much arguing, they finally settled on which movie to watch. A flight attendant brought out several chocolate soufflés for them, making Mater very happy indeed.

As the sun began to set, Sally told Lightning to return to his seat.

"You need to get plenty of sleep tonight, because when we land in the morning, you'll be hitting the ground driving," she told him firmly as she slipped a sleeping mask over his eyes.

Lightning shook himself. "Urgh! Sally! You know I hate these masks!"

"Perhaps, but it's for your own good. And Mater? If you're going to stay up to watch TV, can you please use the headphones? Lightning needs to sleep."

Lightning sighed as he settled down to sleep. The gentle roar of the plane's engines was very soothing, and he soon drifted off…

…

"Stickers?" Sally called gently, and she nudged his fender.

"Mmm…" Lightning moaned sleepily. "Is it morning already?"

"Not exactly." Sally carefully removed Lightning's eye mask. "But we'll be landing in about half an hour, so I thought I'd wake you up now. You're a bit nervous about racing, aren't you?"

"No! What makes you say that?"

"You still talk in your sleep."

"Oh."

Lightning yawned and stretched as Sally began to open the blinds. Early morning sunlight flooded into the cabin, nearly blinding Lightning. He squinted until his eyes grew used to the light. Sally went over to wake Mater, who was snoring softly. He awoke with a start when Sally nudged him. But before he could say anything, the intercom came on.

"Good morning everyone! This is your captain speaking. We'll be landing at Brisbane International Airport in about thirty minutes. Current local time is six-thirty, and the temperature in Brisbane is a nice twenty-four degrees Celsius. Some light showers are predicted later this afternoon, so if you're planning to stay in Brisbane, I suggest you be prepared for it. I'll update you again once we land. Cabin attendants? Can you please prepare the cabin for landing?"

Lightning looked out of the window closest to him. He was glad to be a car and not a plane. Planes had little choice in their career path, whereas cars had many more options. He let out a long sigh.

Half an hour later, the plane landed safely. As first class passengers, Lightning, Sally and Mater were the first to disembark. They collected their luggage, which they piled into Mater's tray. Then they easily made it through customs, before they emerged into the vast airport concourse. Compared with most American airports, the Brisbane International Airport terminal wasn't big, but it was very welcoming after being crammed for thirteen hours inside a tiny cabin.

"Lightning!" Leyland called from amongst the crowd of cars waiting to receive their friends and loved ones. Lightning, Sally and Mater hurried over to him.

"Hey Mr Dane," Lightning greeted him. "Can we get outta here before I get swamped by fans?"

"You won't get swamped by fans around here," Leyland assured him. "And I thought we agreed that you'd call me Leyland, and not Mr Dane?"

"Oops! Sorry."

"It's okay. Have you got everything?"

"Yup!" Mater said, answering for everyone.

"Then let's go. It's only a ten minute drive to our team headquarters."

"Really?" Mater exclaimed as he hurried after Leyland, Lightning and Sally. "Only ten minutes? Dadgum! Brisbane must be smaller than I thought!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 4

Once Leyland, Lightning, Sally and Mater were clear of the airport, Leyland led the way onto a main road called, most appropriately, Airport Drive.

"Wow-ee!" Mater exclaimed. "I'm on Australian tarmac! Why's everyone on the wrong side of the road fer?"

"Only Americans drive on the right-hand side," Leyland patiently explained. "Just stick close to me, and you'll be okay."

Leyland led the way under an overpass and around a very large roundabout. Lightning, Sally and Mater stayed as close to him as possible.

"We're almost there," Leyland assured them while they waited at a set of traffic lights. On the other side of the road, an ambulance went racing by, siren wailing.

Lightning looked around. He was amazed by just how much traffic there was! Then again, he wasn't really sure about what he'd expected Australia to be like. He knew there were several cities, but apart from that, he just didn't really know.

They followed Leyland into a large industrial estate. After driving down a few blocks, Leyland turned into a quiet street. He drove straight up to the driveway in the street's corner, and he entered the yard. Lightning looked around in awe. To his left was a large building with 'Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia' written on it, along with the Triple Eight logo. A large MAN truck was just reversing onto its double trailers, which had 'Redbulldozer Racing Australia' written all over them, along with logos. If Lightning's eyes weren't already as wide as possible, they would've been at the sight of those trailers. They were huge! They made his own trailers seem small in comparison.

"Ah! You're back, boss," the truck said, smiling warmly.

"I am, Red. This is Lightning McQueen, Craig's new co-racer, and his girlfriend, Sally, and his friend, Mater."

"Hi guys!" Red beamed. "Craig's gonna be thrilled to finally meet ya, Lightning. Welcome to the team." He looked back at Leyland. "Craig phoned about ten minutes ago. He said he's stuck in traffic again. Jamie's here though. He left his home early to beat the morning traffic."

"Condition: normal," Leyland muttered. Then, louder, he said, "Thanks for letting me know, Red. You're leaving for Melbourne today, aren't you?"

"Yup! JJ's just triple checking to ensure we have everything, and then I'll be off. Oh, and Paul Drivewell phoned. He wants your permission to race in Sydney this weekend for a charity race. You'd better phone him back as soon as possible. He needs to give his manager an answer today."

"Okay, I'll phone him as soon as I get a chance. Let me know when you're about to leave."

"Will do!"

Leyland led Lightning, Sally and Mater inside the building. Lightning's eyes went large again. Inside, everything was spotless. A secretary was behind a desk, typing away on her computer. Seeing the enormous trophy cabinet, Lightning drove over to it, staring in amazement at all the glistening trophies. His eyes fell on the five identical trophies lined up in the centre. They were all engraved with the name 'Jamie Win-Cup'. Beneath the name was engraved, 'V8 Supercars Champion'. Engraved beneath that was a different year on each trophy – 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Looking around at the other trophies, Lightning saw three more championship trophies, but these ones had 'Craig Louds' engraved on them, along with the years, 1996, 1998 and 1999.

Leyland drove up beside Lightning. He pointed to one of the trophies with his tyre. "That's the Enduro Cup," he said. "That's the one you're aiming for. They give out two; one for the winner and one for the winner's co-racer. Second and third place also get trophies. Are you ready to see the rest of our facilities now?"

"Sure."

"You haven't said much, Lightning? Are you feeling okay, or is it just jetlag?"

"I'm fine. I guess I'm just a bit overwhelmed. I wasn't expecting anything as…well…advanced as this."

Leyland couldn't help laughing. "I'm guessing most Americans think we still live in bush huts and have pogo-sticks (kangaroos) bouncing down the streets? Well, nothing could be further from the truth! Australia is a first-world country and it's one of the wealthiest. Seriously, as a racer, you are going to be spoilt to within an inch of your life here! The only payment I ask in return is for you to do your very best."

He turned to the secretary. "Susan? Would you mind showing Sally and Mater into the waiting room while I show Lightning around? I'm sure they'd like some refreshments after their long flight, and some breakfast too."

"Certainly, sir," Susan replied moving out from behind her desk.

Mater's eyes instantly shot out on stalks! Susan was a beautiful navy WH Holden Caprice. Lightning quickly nudged his friend with his tyre.

"Forget about her," he hissed under his breath. "You're dating Holley, remember?"

Mater quickly dropped his gaze. "Oh dang!"

"Sally? Mater? Would you like to follow me, please?" Susan invited. She led the way into the waiting room, which was just off the main foyer.

Lightning suddenly remembered that he needed to call Harv and his mother. After excusing himself from Leyland for a moment, Lightning quickly made the calls, just to let them know that he'd arrived safely.

Once Lightning was off the phone, he followed Leyland upstairs. Leyland showed him into a sound-proof room. The room had two doorways in the entrance to help prevent any sound escaping. Upon entering, Lightning heard the sound of a roaring engine long before he saw its owner. With his front tyres clamped down onto a rolling road, a Holden Commodore was racing his engine flat-out. Lightning didn't have to guess who it was. The racer had navy paintwork covered in Redbulldozer and various other sponsor's decals. His name and number was clearly displayed on his side windows: 'Win-Cup' – 1.

Leyland nodded to the forklift who was monitoring Jamie's stats on several large computer monitors. The forklift signalled for Jamie to stop. Once Jamie had, Leyland went over to the computers.

"How's he running so far?"

"Quite good, sir," the forklift replied, pointing to one of the screens. "He's still having a few minor issues with his rollbars though."

"Minor issues in practice can become a big issue on race day," Leyland frowned. "Neither of you are to leave this room until it is fixed, do you understand?"

"Yes, Leyland."

Leyland turned to Jamie, who was just taking the opportunity to have a quick drink.

"Jamie? This is Lightning."

"Hey there, Lightning," Jamie said, smiling warmly. "We've heard a lot about you."

Lightning was surprised that Jamie didn't sound like he was puffed. "Hi Jamie. It's nice to meet you."

"And this is Jamie's engineer and our team manager, Mark Dutton," Leyland said, indicating towards the forklift.

"We call him 'Dutto'," Jamie added. "Everyone has nicknames around here. You'll soon get one."

"And what's yours?" Lightning asked, feeling a bit more relaxed.

"Depends who you talk to," Leyland said before Jamie could answer.

At that moment, someone else burst into the room. "Dutto, I'm so sorry I'm late, but the traffic was appalling this morning! Some idiot truck decided to roll on the Bruce Highway and spill his load of oil-." The intruder paused abruptly when he saw Leyland and Lightning.

Leyland tapped his tyre crossly. "This is the third time you've been late this week, Craig. You know I don't tolerate lateness. Or tardiness…" he added as one of Craig's hubcaps fell off and rolled across the room. Lightning almost burst out laughing at the sight, but he quickly swallowed it. Leyland glared sternly at Craig.

Craig sighed. "I'm really, really sorry, Leyland. It won't happen again."

"You said that last time. Seriously, if Jamie can get here before seven o'clock each morning from the Gold Coast, you should be able to get here on time just as easily from the Sunshine Coast! You're both travelling the same distance each morning, only you're coming from opposite directions. Craig, you know full well that what we do isn't a game. This is your job, and it's high time you started respecting it as such! No other boss would tolerate you coming to work late. And if you don't start putting your hubcaps on right, I might have to seriously review your contract! You're always late, and you've only won three races for us this year! And the last one was all the way back in May in Perth! It's not fair on Jamie to have to carry the weight of the team on his tyres! Now get up on your rolling road! You're not leaving this room until you've done five-hundred kilometres!"

Sheepishly, Craig drove onto the other rolling road in the room. Dutto pressed a button that secured Craig's front tyres to it, and Craig started his engine.

"Have you had any breakfast this morning?" Dutto asked him.

Craig nodded. Lightning couldn't help feeling sorry for Craig. It was obvious even to him that Jamie was Leyland's prize racer, and that Craig came in second-best.

"Before you start, Craig," Leyland said, "This is Lightning McQueen."

Craig nodded civilly to the younger American racer before he turned his attention back to the task at hand. Lightning and Leyland watched as Jamie and Craig both began racing at full speed on their respective rolling roads. After a few minutes, Leyland motioned for Lightning to follow him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Leyland apologised once they were out of the room. "I know I must sound like a hard taskmaster to you, but Craig was asking for it. As I keep reminding everyone, 'There is no silver bullet in this sport'. You have to work hard to be at your very best on race day. Jamie and Craig are a bit odd, because when they're off the track, Jamie is always neat, prompt and organised, whereas Craig is completely disorganised and a bit of a klutz. But when they're on the track, Craig is amazingly neat and organised, whereas Jamie's lucky if he can even find our pit without asking for directions! Plus, Jamie's far more aggressive on the track. You won't believe it until you see it! Now, come into my office. We need to discuss the modifications we're going to do to you to make it legal for you to race in the V8s."

Lightning sighed tiredly as he followed Leyland into his perfectly tidy office. He knew he'd be getting some modifications for this; it had been part of the contract he'd signed for Leyland. But still, he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Can I ask you a question, Leyland?" Lightning asked once they were alone inside the office.

"Shoot."

"How come you don't train Jamie and Craig on a racetrack?"

"All V8 Supercars team are only allowed to have three practice sessions on a racetrack each year. Because of that, we have to find other means of keeping our racers fit and healthy. Not all of the teams have access to a home racetrack, so we have to make do with what we've got."

"Oh. I see."

"Our home racetrack is Ipswich; about an hour's drive from here. The racetrack's also part of the V8 circuit. We did quite well there this year, but that was only to be expected. Anyway, I'll just phone our team doctor and ask him to come and talk to you about your modifications."

Lightning sighed as Leyland picked up his phone. What had he gotten himself into?


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 5

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Groaning loudly with annoyance, Lightning slammed his wheel down on the alarm clock, almost breaking it. Yup, he was definitely jetlagged.

Peeking out from beneath his blankets, Lightning looked sleepily around his hotel room. It was still dark. Groaning again, Lightning reflected on the events of yesterday. After he'd met with the team's doctor, Dr Andrews, Leyland had escorted Lightning, Sally and Mater to a nearby hotel where they would be staying. Lightning had had a small meal before crashing into bed. By his calculation, he'd had about fourteen hours sleep – and he was still tired! But the memory of Craig's scolding by Leyland prompted Lightning into action. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Leyland's scoldings.

Yawning and stretching, Lightning shrugged off the blankets. He then drove as quietly as he could into the kitchen, where Sally had kindly prepared his breakfast for him the day before. Taking it out of the fridge, Lightning ate it silently. He didn't want to wake Sally or Mater. Leyland's wife would be coming to collect them at nine o'clock, to take them to see the sights in Brisbane's CBD. That would keep them out of the way so Lightning could concentrate on what he needed to do.

Once Lightning had finished his breakfast, he left the hotel. For a moment, he was afraid he'd get lost, but he soon found his way, arriving at the Triple Eight Race Engineering team headquarters with just five minutes to spare. He found Leyland talking to Jamie in the foyer. Leyland smiled when he saw Lightning.

"Morning, Lightning. I'm glad to see that you're prompt. Now, we're just waiting for-."

At that precise moment, Craig dashed inside the building, skidding to a stop right beside Lightning.

"-Craig," Leyland finished.

Craig raised a wheel in the air. "Guilty!"

Lightning and Jamie couldn't help snickering. That is, until Leyland glared at them.

"Okay you three. This is the plan for today. Jamie, now that you've sorted out the issue with your rollbar, I want you to put in three hundred kilometres at average speed today. After lunch, Dutto wants to meet with you to discuss your fuel strategy for Sandown. Lightning, Dr Andrews needs an analysis of your engine performance, so I need you to do a hundred kilometres on the rolling road."

"What's that distance in miles?" Lightning asked. "Sorry, but I was never very good at maths."

"Most racers aren't. And it's just over sixty miles, I believe. A drive in the park for you," he added with a wink. "Once Dr Andrews has the data, he'll settle on exactly what modifications you'll need. With any luck, he'll be able to operate on you this afternoon."

"Won't I need to go into hospital for that?"

"No. These are only minor modifications, so you won't need to be anaesthetised. And Craig, I want you to do four hundred fast kilometres today. I want to try and find out why you haven't been consistently fast this year. You don't mind if Lightning uses your rolling road first, do you?"

"Not at all," Craig smiled. "I haven't had any breakfast yet, so you'll find me in the cafeteria." And Craig drove away.

Lightning followed Jamie upstairs to the training room. He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous about this. He'd never trained on a rolling road before, and he wasn't sure he'd like it. He watched as Jamie drove up onto his rolling road. Dutto pressed a button, and clamps shot out from the rolling road to secure Jamie's front wheels to the rolling road. Taking a deep breath, Lightning drove up onto Craig's rolling road. Clamps also secured his front wheels to the rolling road.

"Okay, guys," Dutto said. "Jamie, you're not to exceed two-hundred and fifty kilometres an hour. Lightning, you're to go at your absolute maximum top speed. I'll signal when you're to stop. Off you go now." And the forklift pulled on his headphones.

Lightning and Jamie both accelerated as fast as they could. Jamie quickly settled into a rhythm, while Lightning continued pushing his engine. Soon, he reached two hundred miles per hour. Dutto came over to him.

"You're not at your absolute maximum yet!" he shouted above the roar of Lightning's and Jamie's engines. "I know from your records that you can go faster!"

"It's dangerous for me to go over two hundred!" Lightning shouted back.

"Just do it for a minute!"

Sighing, Lightning pushed his engine even harder. He hadn't had to go over two hundred miles per hour since he'd raced Francesco Bernoulli at the World Grand Prix three years earlier. His engine immediately started aching in protest. Closing his eyes against the pain, Lightning pushed himself to his limit.

Suddenly, a warning alarm went off on the computer. Dutto gestured to Lightning to cut his engine by making a slicing motion with his arm in front of his face. Lightning gasped in pain just before he switched off his engine. He let his wheels roll to a stop. Dutto hurried over to him with a drink of high performance oil.

"Your oil pressure's low, and you're not getting any inside your engine," he explained as Lightning clamped his lips around the straw. "You didn't have much to drink this morning, did you?"

"I wasn't thirsty then," Lightning muttered.

"You must drink first thing in the morning before coming here. You can go now. I've got all the data Dr Andrews needs."

A few minutes later, Lightning left the training room. He headed downstairs to the cafeteria, where he found Craig just finishing off his breakfast.

"That was quick!" Craig said. "What happened?"

Lightning told him. "I just can't understand how Dutto knew I hadn't had much to drink this morning."

"Dutto has been an engineer for over ten years. He's seen Jamie through his rookie years, and he knows every trick in the book. He also knows at once if a racer is sick or emotionally upset. It's no use trying to hide anything from him, so you're better off just telling him things straight up."

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not used to telling my trainers things like that. As far as I can see, it's my business and nobody else's."

"Around here, nothing's private. But don't worry. It's all kept in confidence. Our fans know very little about us, and it's going to stay that way."

Lightning yawned.

"Still feeling jetlagged, are we?" Craig asked with a wink.

"Mhm…"

"Don't worry. It'll wear off soon. I'd better get up to the training room. We'll talk again later. Oh, and thank you."

"What for?"

"For agreeing to be my co-racer. You don't know how much it means to me to have you here. I only hope you can live up to your reputation."

"What reputation?"

"Your reputation for winning. Leyland's very disappointed with my performance this year, so winning the Enduro Cup should get him off my case. See you at lunch."

Craig left Lightning. But he wasn't alone for long. Dr Andrews found Lightning a few minutes later.

"Come to my office, please, Lightning. We need to discuss your surgery."

Sighing deeply, Lightning followed the doctor to his office.

"Right, I got your engine analysis," Dr Andrews said once they were alone. "All I can say is that it is much too powerful for the V8 Supercars."

Lightning was shocked. "It is?"

"Yeah. All V8 Supercar racers are limited to a top speed of three hundred kilometres an hour. Or, for your sake, a hundred and eighty-six miles per hour."

Lightning's eyes widened as he realised what Dr Andrews was implying. "You're going to install a speed limiter in me, aren't you?"

"A temporary one, yes. It's much smaller than a permanent one; like the one you had as a child."

Lightning's jaw dropped in surprise. "H-how did you find out about that?"

"It's my business to know everything about you, since I will be your doctor the whole time you're racing with us. I won't tell you where I got my information from though. The good news is that the speed limiter is the only major modification I need to make. You already have disc brakes that comply within the V8 parameters, but you will need to have your wheels changed. Our air guns are designed to remove just one large bolt; not five little ones. Your fuel cell checks out okay, but it is a lot smaller than the ones we use. Yours can only hold eighty-three litres, whereas Craig's and Jamie's can hold a hundred and twelve litres. However, we don't need to worry about that for the Enduro Cup. I'll have to let Leyland and JJ know though, so they can keep a close eye on your fuel consumption. Also, our racers are only allowed to race on E85 fuel. Have you ever had that before?"

"No. We run on E15 in the Piston Cup."

"Really? Wow. Well, you're going to have to quickly acquire a taste for it then!"

"What does it taste like?"

"It's very potent, I can tell you that. But who knows? You might find you run better on it. Okay, well, I need to prepare some paperwork for a meeting I have to attend tomorrow with some of the V8 officials at their headquarters on the Gold Coast, so I'll see you back here after lunch."

"Are you going to knock me out for the operation?" Lightning asked nervously.

"No. But I am going to sedate you and give you a local anaesthetic. Don't worry about a thing. You probably won't even notice the speed limiter once it's been installed."

Nodding, Lightning left the office. He glanced at a clock on the wall. It was only ten o'clock. He had at least two hours to fill in before lunch. He decided to return to the training room to watch Jamie and Craig.

…

After lunch, Lightning returned to Dr Andrews' office. Leyland was already talking to the doctor when Lightning entered. Dr Andrews answered Lightning's unasked question.

"The V8 officials require a witness whenever modifications are carried out on a racer," he explained. "You don't mind if Leyland watches, do you, or would you prefer to have someone else?"

Lightning shook his hood.

"Good. Well, let's get on with this then. Come next door into my clinic, please. I've got everything ready."

Lightning followed Dr Andrews and Leyland inside the small clinic. Like the rest of the building, it was perfectly clean and organised. Without being asked to, Lightning drove onto the hydraulic lift.

Leyland was surprised. "You've done this before."

"Several times," Lightning shrugged.

Dr Andrews approached Lightning with a large syringe. "I'm just going to sedate you now, okay?"

"Go ahead. I could use the sleep."

"Still jetlagged, huh?"

"Yup."

Chuckling, Dr Andrews injected the sedative into Lightning's fuel tank. Since Lightning was already tired, it didn't take long to start working. Dr Andrews unfastened Lightning's hood clips.

"Can you pop your bonnet for me, please, Lightning?"

"My what?"

"Your bonnet. Or your hood, as you Americans prefer to call it."

"Oh. Right." And Lightning did so.

"You're really going to have to learn some Aussie lingo and slang while you're here," Leyland said as Dr Andrews approached Lightning with another syringe.

"This is just the local anaesthetic," he explained. But Lightning's eyelids were already drooping. He really couldn't care less.

"He's dropping off," Leyland whispered.

"Let him," Dr Andrews replied.

Lightning heard no more. He'd dozed off.

…

"Lightning? It's time to wake up now."

Lightning moaned tiredly. "Go away!" he snapped.

He was rewarded with chuckles.

"I like feistiness in a race car!"

Lightning recognised Leyland's voice. With another moan, he slowly blinked open his eyes. Dr Andrews and Leyland were standing in front of him.

"How long have I been asleep?" Lightning asked.

"Only two hours," Dr Andrews replied. He gestured towards a large mirror beside him. "Take a look at yourself."

Lightning blinked as he looked at his reflection. He looked much the same until he looked closer. Some of his decals had been replaced with different ones; especially those on his spoiler. The small bits of flame on the ends of his spoiler had been replaced with the Triple Eight logo. Written across the top of his spoiler were the words, "Redbulldozer Racing Australia'. All of his numbers had been removed, including the one on his roof, which now had the Redbulldozer logo there instead. Painted on his side windows in bright yellow was the number '888', and beneath it, his surname, 'McQueen'.

"What do you think?" Leyland asked.

"It's…different. A good different though," Lightning answered. "But why couldn't I have kept my own number?"

"Because as Craig's co-racer, you need to carry his number," Leyland explained. "Now, if you're feeling up to it, I'll escort you back to your hotel. I wouldn't dare let you try to drive there on your own while you're still sedated!"

**Please review! I'd love to know what everyone thinks about Lightning's Australian adventure so far. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 6

Promptly at nine o'clock the following morning, Lightning arrived at the Triple Eight team headquarters. Leyland had pretty much ordered him to not come before then, just in case the sedative hadn't quite warn off. Plus, Craig and Jamie were doing radio interviews that morning, so training had been cancelled.

Upon entering the building, Lightning found Leyland talking to a V8 Supercars official. They came over to him.

"Good morning, Lightning," Leyland said. "How does the speed limiter feel this morning?"

"It's a bit stiff and sore, but nothing I can't handle."

"Good. We can give you a mild painkiller if need be."

"I think I'll be okay," Lightning smiled.

"You haven't had any breakfast this morning, have you?"

"No. You told me not to last night."

"Yes. Well, unfortunately, you'll have to undergo some unpleasantness today. Namely, having your fuel changed over, which is why I ordered you not to have any breakfast."

Lightning cringed. He'd had to undergo that procedure when he first became a race car, and Leyland was right. It was incredibly unpleasant.

With much reluctance, Lightning went with Leyland and the official up to the training room. Dr Andrews was waiting for them.

"I'll leave you three alone," Leyland said. "Watching fuel changes always makes me feel sick."

"How do you think I feel?" Lightning retorted.

"Which is why I never became a race car." And Leyland left.

"Come over here, please, Lightning," Dr Andrews instructed. He was parked beside a large tarpaulin that was on the floor to protect the carpet. Lightning drove over to it, and he parked himself on it.

"Do I have to undergo this?" Lightning whimpered.

"I'm afraid so," the V8 official answered. "Don't worry. It won't hurt."

"Just be prepared for me to throw up," Lightning sighed.

"Lucky I've got a strong tank," the official muttered.

Lightning gasped and shuddered as Dr Andrews forced a long plastic tube down into his tank. He then groaned loudly when Dr Andrews began siphoning off his fuel. There was silence for a few minutes, save for the sound of Lightning's fuel pouring into a large plastic jerry-can. The Lightning groaned again.

"I'm going to be sick," he whispered.

Since Dr Andrews was busy holding the tube still, the official placed a plastic try in front of Lightning. Lightning retched for a moment, before finally hurling a small amount of oil and fuel into the tray.

"At least you were honest about not having any breakfast this morning," the official sighed.

"Can I have a drink, please?" Lightning asked, trembling slightly.

At Dr Andrews' nod, the official placed a can of oil in front of Lightning. The race car took a small sip, and immediately retched again.

"I'm almost done," Dr Andrews announced.

Sure enough, the fuel has ceased gushing from Lightning's tank, and now it was barely a trickle. A moment later, Dr Andrews removed the tube.

"Can you get up onto the rolling road for me, please?" he asked Lightning.

"What for?"

"To flush what's left of the fuel out of your engine. Just run it slowly, or leave it idling if you don't think you can manage movement."

"I can't move," Lightning told him pitifully. "I'll collapse if I do."

"I take it you're not used to being starved, right?"

"It's only happened to me twice. I think jetlag's making this time worse."

"Okay. Just stay there then, but put your engine on idle."

Lightning complied. Within five minutes, Lightning's engine sputtered to a stop. He had no fuel left whatsoever. At the official's approving nod, Dr Andrews placed a fuel nozzle inside Lightning's tank. Lightning began to relax as he felt his tank filling up again. But then he shuddered.

"Urgh! That fuel tastes horrible! It's so bitter!"

"You'll get used to it," the official assured him.

Lightning cast him his I-don't-believe-you look.

"Turn you engine on again," Dr Andrews instructed.

Lightning did so. It took him two attempts to turn it over, but when it did, Lightning was relieved to find that it sounded and felt normal.

Once Lightning's tank was full, Dr Andrews removed the fuel nozzle. "There you go, Lightning. You can return to the hotel now if you're feeling well enough. Or would you like me to escort you?"

"I'd prefer an escort, thanks. Just in case I feel sick again."

"No problem. I'll just let Leyland know. You'd better get plenty of rest today and tonight. We've got a seven o'clock flight in the morning."

"Great!" Lightning muttered to himself.

…

Early the following morning, Lightning found himself aboard another Qantas flight, only this time it was flying south towards the city of Melbourne. Leyland, Craig, Jamie, Dr Andrews, JJ, Dutto, Mater, Sally and the rest of the Redbulldozer Racing team was also on the flight. Together, they took up nearly a third of the entire economy section. Lightning was seated beside Craig, with Mater and Sally behind him. He'd spent most of the trip trying to learn some Australian slang and phrases from Craig.

"So, what does Qantas mean?" Lightning asked.

"It's actually an acronym for Queensland And Northern Territory Ariel Service," Craig explained.

"How come when I flew out here, Leyland let me fly first class, but now we're in economy?"

"We always fly economy on a domestic trip, but when we fly overseas, we either go first or business class."

"Oh." Lightning glanced down at the list of Australian words and phrases he'd written out that he wanted explained. "What's a Jackaroo and Jillaroo?"

"Australian cowboys and cowgirls."

Lightning nodded. "A station?"

"Either a railway station, cop shop or what you'd call a cattle ranch."

"Cop shop?"

"Police station."

"Wow! You Australians have got some really weird names for things!"

"So do you Americans. It took me years to work out what a sorority is."

At that moment, the intercom came on, and a female voice spoke through it. "Good morning ladies and gentlecars. This is your captain speaking. We'll be landing in Melbourne shortly. Current local temperature is eleven degrees and the weather is overcast..."

"ELEVEN DEGREES?" Mater shrieked.

"Celsius!" the entire Redbulldozer team, including Lightning, reminded him in unison.

Then made everyone inside the cabin burst out laughing. Poor Mater sheepishly tried to hide.

"Ah! Poor Mater!" Lightning chuckled to Craig. "I really shouldn't laugh, but that was funny!"

"Even so, eleven degrees is quite cold," Jamie interjected. "I hope my anti-freeze is topped up."

"It is," Dr Andrews assured him without looking up from his book.

"I've arranged for Red to meet us at the airport," Leyland told Lightning, Jamie and Craig. "He'll collect you from the tarmac so you don't have to battle through the fans."

Sure enough, Red was waiting for them when the plane landed about twenty minutes later. Leyland escorted Lightning, Craig and Jamie off the plane and over to where Red was parked with the trailers. Glancing up at the terminal windows, Lightning could see a small crowd of fans pressed up against the glass. Then he followed Craig and Jamie inside the trailers. They took up the front trailer, closest to Red, leaving Lightning with the back section.

"I'll see you three at the track," Leyland said. He pressed a button, and the rear trailer's ramp closed.

Red started his engine, and he drove out of the airport, hauling his heavy load. Lightning glanced around at the interior of the conjoined trailers. Just like everything else associated with Triple Eight, it was perfectly spotless and tidy. There was a large LED TV in each section, and large windows that let plenty of light into the trailer, but prevented anyone from seeing inside. Lightning switched on his TV, and he started flicking through the channels.

"If you're looking for the Piston Cup, it's only on, on Monday mornings between about six and eight-thirty on channel eleven," Jamie told him. "But they only show the highlights."

Frowning, Lightning switched the TV off. He then settled down for the journey to Sandown International Raceway, which was just twenty-five kilometres south-east of Melbourne's CBD.

About forty minutes later, Red parked alongside a number of other trucks at the racetrack, and he lowered the ramp. Fed up with being cooped up inside for so long, Lightning fairly flew out of the trailer. Unfortunately, he didn't quite look at where he was going, and he almost landed on top of Leyland!

"Whoops! Sorry!" Lightning quickly apologised. He could hear Jamie and Craig sniggering behind him.

"Running over the boss! Not a good start, Speedster," Craig chuckled.

Leyland shook himself. "Something tells me you're keen to hit the racetrack. Well, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until after our track drive today. Go and grab yourselves some lunch, and then we'll meet in our pit in fifteen minutes."

"Where are Sally and Mater?" Lightning asked.

"Settling down in the hotel," Leyland answered before driving off.

Lightning turned to Jamie and Craig. "What's a track drive?"

"You'll find out," Jamie grinned.

Just under fifteen minutes later, Lightning entered the Redbulldozer Racing pit, which was right at the far end of pit row. Leyland was there, of course, as was most of the pit crew. Jamie was talking to Dutto and another race car Lightning was yet to meet. There was no sign of Craig.

One of the pit crew members, the elusive Jeremy Moore, better known as JJ, drove over to Lightning. They'd finally met that morning at the airport. Like the rest of the team, he seemed like a nice guy.

"Okay, Lightning. As Craig's co-racer, you'll be working very closely with me from now on. You'd better understand here and now that during a race, I'm in charge of Craig's side of the team, unless Dutto or Leyland overrule me."

"I get that," Lightning smiled. "Just don't confuse me. I lost a race once when my crew chief became confused."

"Are we all here now?" Leyland asked, shouting so as to be heard above all the noise.

"We're only missing Craig," JJ answered.

"No, you're not," Craig said, appearing behind Leyland. "Sorry, I was talking to James."

"Traitor!" Jamie muttered.

Leyland sighed. "Let's go!"

The whole team drove out of pit row and onto the racetrack, moving slowly. Looking around, Lightning saw other teams driving slowly around the track too, and he realised what a track drive was.

Jamie and his friend drove closer to Lightning. "Lightning, this is my friend and co-racer, Paul Drivewell."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lightning," Paul smiled. "I'm looking forward to racing against you."

"But…we're on the same team," Lightning pointed out.

"We may be on the same team," Jamie interjected, "but we just as competitive as any other team on the track. Leyland sometimes has to interfere whenever Craig and I find ourselves racing against each other."

"Did I hear my name mentioned?" Craig teased as he also drove up alongside Lightning. He looked at the American racer seriously. "How's your speed limiter settling in?"

"It doesn't bother me now," Lightning told him honestly.

"That's good. We all have to have speed limiters. Makes the playing field an even one. Even so, we still try to find as much speed as we can possibly get. That's something I've been struggling with lately."

"What did Jamie mean before when he called you a traitor?"

"James Courtney is a good friend of mine. We go back a long way to my early years of racing. Unfortunately, we're on rival teams, but we still enjoy a good chat. But whatever you do, DO NOT talk to any of the Ford racers. The Nissan and Mercedes-Benz racers aren't too bad, but they're no competition against us."

"I don't get it."

"Here in Australia, it's always 'mate against mate' and 'state against state'," Jamie explained. "But the biggest rivalry is that of Holden verses Ford. You're lucky you're with us, and not with those cheap Fordsters."

"Fordsters?"

"Just a nickname I just invented for them," Jamie said with a wink.

"Come over here, you four!" Leyland called as they arrived at the first corner. It was a sharp, almost ninety-degree left-hand turn. "Where do you think the racing line is on this corner?"

Lightning and Paul hung back as Craig and Jamie studied the tarmac carefully. Leyland raised his left eyelid at Lightning.

"Would you like to try and make an educated guess, Lightning?"

"I've never raced on a track like this before," Lightning confessed.

"I'd still like you to try."

Lightning also studied the track closely. At a distance, he'd easily be able to see the racing line, but it was difficult to see it when he was so close to it. Then he saw it. The tell-tale grooves in the tarmac from countless tyres running over it were right next to the apex. Lightning pointed to it.

"Here," he said.

"Well done," Leyland praised. "You'll have to be careful not to cut the corner too tightly though. And be careful not to over-correct when you come out of it. I know for a fact that sharp corners like this are the downfall of some Piston Cup racers. You get so used to driving in smooth curves that you forget how to turn. Right. Let's move onto the next corner. The racing line for this one won't be so easy to find…"

…

After the track drive session was over, Lightning joined the rest of the co-racers in pit row for their one and only practice session. Since the regular V8 racers were not allowed to practice until the qualifying round tomorrow, they'd all returned to their respective hotels.

Lightning eyed the other co-racers with a competitive eye. He didn't know any of them, and because of that, he didn't know any of their strengths or weaknesses. Seeing JJ indicating to him by holding up his headset, Lightning switched on his radio. JJ's voice came over it.

"Radio check. Can you hear me, Lightning?"

"Loud and clear, JJ."

"Good. They're sending our team out first. Paul will go first, and then you. I want you to stay behind Paul and follow his racing lines exactly. I'll monitor you from here."

"Okay."

Minutes later, Lightning followed Paul out onto the track. The rest of the co-racers for the other teams fell into line behind them. Paul quickly accelerated up the straight, and Lightning went with him.

At the last second, Paul braked for the first corner. He decelerated so fast, Lightning almost ran up the back off him! He had to cut sharply to the right to avoid a collision.

"Concentrate, Speedster," JJ said over the radio.

"Sorry. I wasn't prepared for that."

"Well, you should've been prepared. You need to learn to 'expect the unexpected'. Besides, this isn't a race. You don't need to be that close to Paul, so just curb your enthusiasm."

Lightning sheepishly backed off a bit. He made it around the rest of the track without further incident. One of the Ford Performance Racing co-racers locked up and went skidding off the track into the grass, completely humiliating himself.

After completing the warm up lap, Paul accelerated up to racing speed. Not quite feeling comfortable with the track yet, Lightning retained his current pace, staying off the racing line whenever someone wanted to overtake him. After a few more laps, JJ got on the radio again.

"You need to start pushing yourself, Lightning. I don't care if you skid off the track. Just get up to racing speed!"

Grimacing, Lightning accelerated up the straight. Braking as late as he dared, he made it safely around the first corner, albeit with a lot of tail slide.

"That was good, Lightning!" JJ said encouragingly. "Keep it up! I know it looks scary, but tail slides are perfectly normal on our tracks."

Grinning, and feeling much more optimistic, Lightning began to settle into a rhythm.

About an hour later, the practice session came to an end. Lightning felt exhausted when he drove into pit row. He wouldn't touch the track again until race day on Sunday. But he was happy with what he'd done that afternoon. He felt comfortable with the track, and he was pretty sure he'd be okay on race day.

Leyland, Dutto and JJ were studying the stats intently when Lightning and Paul entered the pit shed. They looked over at the co-racers.

"You both did well today," Leyland said. "However, Lightning, we could see that you were a bit nervous at first. You can't allow yourself to get nervous like that. It distracts you from focussing, and that's when you make mistakes. Ask Jamie about his 2010 crash in practice at the Gold Coast six-hundred when you get back to the hotel. I'll also need you two to be here no later than seven o'clock tomorrow morning. Sorry you won't get a sleep-in, but channel seven want to do an interview with you two, Craig and Jamie. I think that's about all for now. Goodnight, and I'll see you bright and early in the morning."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 7

"Jamie?"

"Yes, Speedster?"

"Must you call me that?"

"I told you you'd get a nickname sooner or later. 'Sup?"

"Leyland told me to ask you about your 2010 crash on the Gold Coast."

Jamie chuckled. "He brings that up whenever I or someone else loses concentration. It was my own fault entirely. I was thinking too much about how I'd feel winning my second championship, and I wasn't concerntrating at all. Having steering problems that day didn't help me either, and I scraped a wall, causing me to spin out. I slammed my entire left-hand side into the opposite wall and that was the end of that practice session! Boy, was I a mess! It took the boys several hours to have me ready to qualify later that afternoon. We were all exhausted, but it taught me a huge lesson that I've never forgotten. NEVER drop you guard during a race. You're almost guaranteed to crash of you do."

"Thanks, Jamie. Did you end up qualifying?"

"Yeah. Second place on the grid."

Lightning fell silent. It was later that night, and they were both in Jamie's suite, talking and sipping on cans of oil. Nearly everyone else on the team had gone to sleep, but as Lightning was still adjusting to the time change, he was wide awake. Jamie was also rather restless, but he just put it down to adrenalin. He said it happened to him all the time before a big race. Lightning completely understood.

"Can I ask you a question, Lightning?"

"Sure."

"You've got Jaguar Syndrome, haven't you?"

Lightning raised an eyelid in surprise. "How did you know? It's not public knowledge."

"I know," Jamie said seriously, "because I also have it."

"What?"

"Yeah, I easily recognised the symptoms when I watched a video of you racing on CarsTube. Agitation and nervousness before a race, and then an incredible burst of speed right when you need it most."

"I've never met anyone else who also has Jaguar Syndrome. How did you have yours treated when you were a child?"

"Speed limiter."

"Me too. But I had mine removed when I was ten."

"You were lucky then. I've always had a speed limiter since I was first diagnosed. Even now, I still don't know what my natural top speed is."

"Don't you want to find out?"

"One day I will. What's yours?"

"I've been clocked at two hundred and twenty-three miles per hour."

"So that's almost three hundred and sixty kilometres an hour."

Lightning shrugged. "I was never any good at maths."

"I know. In the V8s we're limited to three hundred kilometres an hour, so my natural top speed is probably about the same as yours. But this is just between us, okay? Only Dr Andrews knows that I have Jaguar Syndrome."

"Leyland doesn't know?"

Jamie shook his hood. "Nup. And I don't want him to know either."

"But I thought there were no secrets in this team? You need to tell him! He belittles Craig because he's not as fast as you. Now I know why!"

"What difference would it make? We all have speed limiters, remember? It's not my fault I can push my engine right up to the limit without any bother, whereas Craig and everyone else struggle to maintain higher speeds. If I was in the Piston Cup, I'd agree with you, but in the V8s, speed doesn't win you races. It's skill and tactics. One tiny miscalculation can be the difference between winning and crashing. And now, if you don't mind, I'll like to get some sleep, please. We have that interview first thing in the morning."

Nodding, Lightning quietly left the suite, and he went across the hallway to his own. He had a lot to think about.

…

By a quarter past seven the next morning, Lightning, Paul, Craig and Jamie were at the racetrack, inside the channel 7 studio there. The camera crew had wanted to film the interview in the pit shed, but it had been much too noisy there, so they'd moved to a quieter venue. Lightning couldn't help feeling nervous about this interview. Normally, they weren't a big deal, but today it was because he'd be speaking live to a reporter he'd never met before.

"Just don't answer any questions unless they're directly put to you," Leyland had advised when Lightning had told him his concerns.

"We're going live in ten seconds!" the producer said. "You're talking to Melissa and Dave."

The four racers nodded their understanding. They looked up at the TV screen behind the producer that showed what was going on back inside the channel 7 studio in Sydney.

"Silence in the studio!" the producer called. "Going live…now!"

Audio from the Sydney studio came out over the speakers in the room, syncing with the TV footage. Dave was speaking.

"As most of our viewers will be aware, the V8 Supercars Enduro Cup begins this weekend, starting in Melbourne with the Sandown five-hundred."

"Yes," Melissa added. "And now we're going to cross over live to the Sandown International Raceway, where we'll be speaking with champion Redbulldozer racers, Craig Louds and Jamie Win-Cup, and their co-racers for the Enduro Cup, Lightning McQueen and Paul Drivewell."

Lightning saw the camera lights flash green, indicating that they were live-streaming. The TV went to dual-screen, showing Melissa and Dave inside the Sydney studio on the left of screen, and Lightning, Craig, Jamie and Paul on the right.

"Good morning, boys!" Melissa said.

"Morning," the four race cars replied, almost in unison.

"Jamie, can we start with you? You're the favourite to win the V8 Supercars championship again this year. If you do, you'll be the most successful V8 Supercar racer in the history of the sport, with six championships. How does that make you feel?"

"Well, you know, Melissa… I try to be modest about my wins, but I have to admit that it does feel pretty good. When I first joined Triple Eight back in 2006, I never expected to have the success I've had with them. But as I always say, in this sport it's all about the team's effort. We value our team championships just as highly as our racer's championships."

Dave asked the next question, directing it at Craig. "Craig, you've been struggling to find your form this year. Do you feel intimidated by Jamie as the younger racer on your team, or are you just feeling your age?"

Craig chuckled good-naturedly before answering. "No, I'm not feeling my age, nor do I feel intimidated by Jamie. We're great mates, and we're both highly competitive. I'm great during practices and training, but then things just happen on race day to mess up with all our planning, and it all goes downhill from there. But I am hoping to win a few more races before the end of the season."

"Do you think Frosty's been trying to get inside your head?"

"I actually think he's trying to get inside Jamie's!"

That made everyone laugh.

"You're defending your win in Endro Cup from last year," Dave continued. "Do you think you'll win it again this year?"

"Who knows, Dave? Endurance races are always the most challenging, which is why we must have co-racers. If you're not a hundred percent fit on the day, you don't stand much chance of finishing in one piece."

"Lightning, can I ask you a few questions, please?" Melissa asked.

"Sure."

"You're the current reigning champion in the Piston Cup series in America, so can I ask, what made you decide to drop out of the Piston Cup to come and race in the V8s?"

"I haven't dropped out of it," Lightning replied somewhat defensively. "I'm going back to it as soon as I've finished racing in the Enduro Cup."

"Well, some cars are speculating that you're bored with it, and that's why you agreed to come and race here in Australia."

"That is partially true. My rivals in the Piston Cup just weren't rivals anymore. Yes, I could've done things to make racing more exiting, like I did in my rookie season, but what was the point? I was going to win those races anyway."

"How different is the V8 Supercars to the Piston Cup?"

"It's very different. I mean, in the Piston Cup, it's all about speed. Here, I'm finding that the racing isn't just physically exhausting, but mentally exhausting as well. I've probably learned more about racing in the past few days than I have in my entire life, and that's saying a lot, believe me!"

"Moving onto you now, Paul," Dave said, "We all know that you like to race in other codes, so what is it about the V8 Supercars that keeps drawing you back to it?"

"Well, as Lightning said, the V8 Supercars combines speed with tact and agility. There's no other competition like it in the world. I just wish I could find a team willing to take me on full time. In the meantime, I just have to be content with being a co-racer in the Enduro Cup. Don't get me wrong though. Jamie and I make a brilliant team, and I only hope that we can take home the trophy this year. I also hope that one day they'll make the Adelaide five-hundred part of the Enduro Cup! Then I'll get to co-race even more."

Melissa and Dave ended the interview by wishing the four of them good luck. Lightning breathed a huge sigh of relief once the cameras were switched off.

"Great interview, guys," Leyland said, moving out of the shadows. "Craig and Jamie, you need to go and get ready for qualifying. Lightning and Paul, you can take the rest of the day off. I don't care what you do, but just stay out of our way and don't get drunk."

Chuckling, Lightning and Paul left the studio. Lightning decided to go back to his hotel suite. He was desperate to find out who'd won the Piston Cup race the previous Sunday. He'd been far too busy all week to find out.

After logging onto the computer in his hotel suite, he went to the Piston Cup website. It had been years since he'd had to go online to find out anything about the Piston Cup. Normally, everything was just emailed to him.

When he found the results from Sunday's race, he wasn't at all surprised. Jimmy had won, followed by Junior in second place. Lightning slammed the lid closed. For the briefest second, he wondered if this is what his life would be like after he'd decided to retire; feeling paranoid about the results in case someone had come close to beating one of his records. Or even succeeding. Sighing, he shook his hood. He was nowhere near ready to retire. But he knew he was missing something.

He heard Sally approaching behind him. She nuzzled his fender gently. "Hey Stickers."

"Hey Sal," Lightning replied softly. "Sorry I haven't spent much time with you this week. Been really busy."

"I know, and it's okay. I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to become your girlfriend. The shopping here is amazing!"

Lightning chuckled. "Where's Mater?"

"Riding around Melbourne on the trams. Don't worry about him. He can take care of himself."

"Are you sure?"

Sally laughed. "Okay, probably not. If he's not back by sundown, I'll alert the police." She nuzzled him again. "What's wrong? You look troubled about something."

"I just don't understand what's happened to me lately. I love racing more than anything else, but I'm just… I don't know. Everyone thinks I'm bored with racing, but I'm not exactly. I'm bored because it's not as competitive as it used to be. I…I feel like I did when I first came to Radiator Springs. Lost."

Sally gave Lightning a kiss. "Maybe you just need new spark plugs."

That made Lightning laugh. "You're my spark plug."

Sally blushed profusely. Still laughing, Lighting hugged her.

"I'm so glad I'll always have you by my side," he said sincerely. "Keep making me laugh, please! It reminds me of why I fell in love with you."

"I will. And since you're not doing anything for the rest of the day, why don't we take a drive over to Brighton Beach? It's not too far from here."

"Okay," Lightning agreed.

Smiling, he planted a kiss on Sally's lips. Then, together, they left the hotel.

…

A few hours later, in the early afternoon, Lightning returned to the racetrack alone to find out how the qualifying had gone. He'd really enjoyed his time down at the beach with Sally, and he felt quite refreshed and relaxed. He found Craig and Jamie inside the pit shed along with the rest of the team. Qualifying had just finished, and some of the other race cars were still doing warm down laps. Glancing at a TV screen, Lightning could see the qualifying results. Jamie and Paul's names were easy to find. Jamie's fastest lap had given them pole position out of twenty-five positions. Scanning down the list, Lightning finally found his name alongside Craig's. Craig had qualified them in ninth position. It wasn't bad, but from the conversation Craig was now having with JJ and Dutto, he could tell that he wasn't happy.

Lightning looked over at Jamie, who was surrounded by pit crew members. They were busy pulling grass out of Jamie's fenders.

"What happened to you?" Lightning asked, surprised.

"I mowed the grass, didn't I?" Jamie growled. He looked furious. "Thank goodness it happened when I was on my way back to the pits! Chaz got in my way on turn nine. At least he's been penalised. That's the last time I get run off the road by a rookie!"

Lightning quickly coughed to suppress his urge to laugh. Unfortunately, the forced coughing caused a bit of saliva to enter his air intake, and he began coughing for real.

"Are you okay, Lightning?" Leyland asked, coming up behind him.

"No, I'm just dying here, all right?" Lightning gasped sarcastically as he started to choke.

One of the pit crew forklifts gave Lightning a hard slap over the back of the head with his arm. With a splutter, Lightning felt the saliva dislodge from his airway, and he was able to breathe again.

"Thank you!" Lightning gasped appreciatively.

"Serves you right for laughing at me," Jamie sniggered.

Lightning ignored him. "I was looking for you, Leyland."

"Oh? Why?"

"Can we go somewhere private, please? It's personal."

Leyland raised an eyelid in surprise that Lighting was trusting him with something personal, but he didn't argue. "Let's go inside the trailer," he suggested.

Nodding, Lightning followed him out of the pit shed. He had a mischievous grin on his face, and his sapphire blue eyes were sparkling brightly for the first time in weeks. But nobody saw it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 8

"Mater? Psst! Mater! Wake up. I need to talk to you."

Mater slowly opened his bedroom door. He looked half asleep. "What is it, bud? It's only gone eight o'clock."

"I know, I know, but I need to talk to you urgently, please. Can I come in?"

"I guess so," Mater yawned. He moved back so Lightning could enter the room. Lightning closed the door.

"I need you to do something for me during the race today, please."

"Why, sure thing, bud! What do ya want me ta do fer ya?"

"Whatever you do, do not scream or carry on or anything. I don't want you waking Sally, and you must NOT tell her about this at all."

"So, it's a secret from Miss Sally?"

"Yeah."

Leaning in closer, Lightning's whispered in Mater's ear. Mater's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open in a dopey grin when he heard Lightning's plan.

"Why, shoot, buddy! I can do tha' fer ya!"

"Shh!" Lightning hissed. Mater promptly clamped a tyre over his mouth. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"So, youse want me ta sneak away during da race?"

"Yeah. And when you get back, hide it in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. I'll text you a picture of the one I want now."

And Lightning did so. Mater's phone immediately started playing the song 'Let It Go!' Lightning's eyes widened in surprise.

"Mater!"

Mater blushed. "Holley changed it, an' I dunno how to git rid of it. What's yer ringtone?"

Now it was Lightning's turn to blush. As if on cue, his phone started playing 'Love is an Open Door'. Mater burst out laughing as Lightning quickly switched it off.

"I think we can safely say that our girlfriends are both completely obsessed with the film 'Frozen'," Lightning sighed. He looked at his phone to see who'd tried to ring him so early in the morning. "Oops! I'd better go phone him back."

"Who was it?" Mater asked.

"Harv."

Lightning quickly phoned him. Harv answered on the first ring.

"I cannot believe you hung up on me!" Harv exploded.

"Sorry, but it is only eight o'clock in the morning here."

"So what? You're usually up at that hour training."

"Whatever. I was ordered to sleep in, 'cause it's race day."

Harv snorted. "Like that was ever going to happen! You're up all night before a race. Anyway, my news. There's a rumour floating around that Tex tricked you into going to Australia, just to get you out of the way so Jimmy could finally win the Piston Cup."

Lightning scoffed. "What nonsense! It was my own decision. Tex didn't influence it at all!"

"Still…" Harv hesitated. "Jimmy did win by a considerable margin last Sunday, and he's tipped to win again tomorrow. You've only got a five hundred point margin on him. If he keeps winning the next few races, you're going to have a hard time catching up to him."

Lightning sighed thoughtfully. "I knew my margin would close, but I didn't think it would be by so much… I imagined that some of the other racers might win the races, and that way I'd still retain my lead. Look, Harv, I'm sorry, but I'd better go now. I have a very big race today. Are you gonna watch it?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stay up late and live-stream it online. Rusty and Dusty are joining me later. Listen, before ya go, can I have a press statement, please?"

"Just say that Tex did not influence my decision to race in Australia at all. It was my decision entirely, and I will return to the Piston Cup as soon as I arrive back in America."

"Got that, thanks. We'll talk again soon. Good luck in your race." And Harv hung up.

Lightning let out a long, tired sigh.

"Somethin' wrong, bud?" Mater asked him kindly.

"Not really. Some people just say stupid things because they don't want to believe the truth. I suppose I'd better have breakfast and head on down to the track. Our warm up session is at ten-thirty. See you after the race."

"Good luck, bud," Mater said sincerely as Lightning left the room.

…

Pit row was already a hive of activity by the time Lightning arrived there. A lot of the other racers were also arriving. Most of them greeted him with a cheerful, "Morning!", and in response, Lightning smiled and returned the greeting. He was feeling very happy and positive when he finally entered the Triple Eight pit shed. Like the rest of pit row, it was also a hive of activity. He paused in the doorway for a moment to watch everyone scurrying around, and calling out to each other.

"Keep those wet tyres on standby," Dutto told two pit crew members. "They're predicting light showers later, but they're not sure when they'll hit, or how hard they'll be. You can put out the hard tyres that were used yesterday and the day before."

"We can't reuse JDub's from yesterday," the pit crew member said. "He trashed them."

For a moment, Lightning wondered who 'JDub' was, but then he realised it must be one of Jamie's nicknames. Dutto's reply confirmed it.

"Okay, so Jamie's down a set. Make sure you keep one set for the final pit stop."

"Leyland!" JJ called out.

"He's getting a round of coffees," another pit crew member replied.

"Anyone seen Craig this morning?" Dr Andrews asked. "I've got some paperwork for him to sign."

"He's in physio," Dutto told him. "Has anyone seen my headset?"

"It's on the table over there."

"Thanks. Now, where's Leyland with the coffees?"

"Right here!" Leyland called, entering the pit shed through the front. "Your names are on the cups. Sorry if I got your order wrong. I did my best, but twenty odd orders are a lot to remember."

Seeing Lightning standing quietly at the back door, Dr Andrews drove over to him. "Come with me please, Lightning."

"Where are we going?" Lightning asked as he drove alongside the doctor.

"Physiotherapy."

"But I always have that _after _a race, not before."

"We've found that Jamie and Craig recover from a race faster if they've had physio both before and after a race," Dr Andrews explained. "Today, we're also going to experiment to see if it helps you during a race as well. I know mid-race physio is impossible for most races, but for endurance races that require co-racers, it could be an advantage."

"That's interesting," Lightning said thoughtfully. "I have a degree in Sport's Science, which my mum and step-dad thought could come in handy for me after I finish racing. Maybe I could research something like that?"

"Well, actually, I'm conducting this experiment as part of my PhD in Sport's Medicine," Dr Andrews explained with a smile. "Leyland doesn't mind; especially since he's already seeing the benefits. If he can see something that will give us even the smallest advantage over the other teams, he'll take it. So long as it isn't cheating, of course. But I'm glad to know that you've got a degree. Most race cars are fresh out of high school, and they forget all about studying until the day they either crash out or retire. But by then, it's often too late, and they have nothing to fall back onto."

"That's what my parents were worried about. And that's why I decided to do it. It was hard balancing studies with racing, but now, I'm so glad I did it. That piece of paper has the same value as a Piston Cup to me. It's an achievement I can be proud of."

"You'll go far with that kind of attitude," Dr Andrews told him. "It's the right kind to have."

They were under the main stadium now. Dr Andrews knocked on a door with his wheel, before entering the room. Craig was just getting up off a foam mattress.

"Thanks, Dr Anderson. I feel great now!"

"You're welcome," Dr Anderson, a forklift who was obviously the physiotherapist, said.

"I have some papers for you to sign, Craig," Dr Andrews said. He turned to Dr Anderson. "I'll leave Lightning with you."

Once Craig and Dr Andrews had gone, Lightning jumped onto the mattress. He'd undergone this routine hundreds of times before. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax. He listened as Dr Anderson set up the overhead massaging machine. It was part buffer; part massager.

Lightning exhaled contently as the massager got to work on his head, sides and hood. How he loved those machines! He'd fallen asleep under their spell more than once.

Once the machine had finished massaging him, Dr Anderson came over to Lightning. He gently lifted up Lightning's front left wheel, and he began to stretch the axle out as far as it would go. Lightning both heard and felt the axle clicking as it was stretched beyond its usual limit. It didn't hurt much though, and that whole corner of his body felt much more relaxed by the time Dr Anderson had put the wheel back where it should be. He then repeated the procedure with the rest of Lightning's wheels and axles.

By the time the session was finished, Lightning had almost drifted off to sleep. "Mmm… More… Please…" he moaned.

"I'm sorry, that's it for now," Dr Anderson told him firmly, but not unkindly. "It's almost time for you to go warm up for the race. Good luck out there today."

"Thanks. And thank you for the physio. You're really good!"

"Thank you. I'm just doing the job I love."

"So am I." And Lightning left the room.

…

The warm up session went well for the entire Triple Eight team. Nobody had anything to complain about, and Leyland was please when Craig took a second off his best lap time that he's set during qualifying the day before. Lightning was still a bit cautious going around the really tight corners, but he managed to catch up on the straights, and that helped him keep his lap times consistent.

Since the main race wasn't due to start until about one-thirty in the afternoon, Lightning, Craig, Jamie and Paul decided to have lunch together while they watched the V8 Utes racing as part of the support races. Sally and Mater joined them inside the corporate box, which was directly above pit row.

"Wow! Look at dem Utes go!" Mater exclaimed as they went roaring by down the home straight. He whistled loudly. "Wow-ee! I wanna do Ute racin'!"

"I saw some Porsches racing before," Sally said.

"That's the Carrera Cup," Craig explained.

"It looked like fun. I wonder if I'd be any good at it?"

"I don't see why not," Lightning smiled. "You're pretty nippy when you want to be."

"Uh, oh!" Paul said, frowning. "We'd better get back to the pit. Leyland wanted to have a pre-race meeting at twelve-thirty, and it's twenty past."

"Guess I'll see you two again after the race," Lightning said. He embraced Sally in an affectionate kiss.

"Good luck, and stay safe," Sally whispered.

"Thanks, and I'll do my best."

A few minutes later, down in the pit shed, Leyland gathered the entire team together. "Okay, listen up, everyone! This will be our plan for today, but remember, it's not set in stone. If something happens to alter the plan, like a safety car, I will make the final call about what we'll do. After consulting with Dutto and JJ, I've decided to send Paul and Craig out first. I know it's a huge gamble sending Paul out first, but his acceleration is one tenth of a second faster than Jamie's, and that could make all the difference at the first corner. The race is a hundred and sixty-one laps, and the co-racers must complete at least eighty laps, so Dutto and JJ, it's your responsibility to keep an eye on the lap count. I don't want our team to be fined for such a silly mistake. I also want to try and avoid staking in the pits as much as possible, especially after the disaster we had last time. We'll bring Paul in at the first window, which is lap thirty-two. Craig? I'm going to leave you out there until lap thirty-five. Lightning can do the next forty laps, and we'll see how we're going after that. The radar's now showing light showers at about lap a hundred and forty, so I'll make a decision about wet tyres then. With any luck, it'll hold off, but if it doesn't, and Lightning's out there at the time, I will be bringing him in, and that's non-negotiable. They don't run Piston Cup races in wet weather, so he has had absolutely no experience racing on a wet track. I'm making that call for his safety as well as everyone else's. Right, I think that's everything. Good luck everyone. Let's make today a day to remember."

Everyone cheered enthusiastically, and then the pit shed fell silent as everyone began to undergo their respective tasks. Lightning and Jamie watched on as Craig and Paul had their tanks filled up and racing tyres bolted on. They then joined them in pit row for the official pre-race line up. A TV camera crew moved slowly down the line up of race cars, recording everything for live TV. In the distance, Lightning could hear the commentators calling out all the teams and racers…

"First up in pit row, we have team Redbulldozer Racing, headed by current V8 Supercar's champion, car number one, Jamie Win-Cup!"

The enormous crowd cheered enthusiastically for Jamie. He grinned and waved a tyre at the camera as it focused on him.

"Co-racing with Jamie is the current V8 Supercars Development Series leader, Paul Drivewell!"

The cheering wasn't quite as loud for Paul, but he grinned and waved all the same.

"The second member of Redbulldozer Racing is V8 Supercars veteran and former champion, number triple eight, Craig Louds!"

Craig received a very enthusiastic cheer. Lightning tried to relax as the camera crew focused the camera on him.

"Co-racing with Craig is the current Piston Cup champion, coming all the way from North America, Lightning McQueen!"

The crowd cheered again as Lightning smiled and waved into the camera. He breathed a sigh of relief as the camera crew moved onto the next racer.

"Moving onto Holden Racing Team, we have the 2010 V8 Supercars champion, number twenty-two, James Courtney!"

Lightning smiled at Craig's friend. James gave him a wink.

"Good luck out there today, McQueen."

"Thanks."

"I hope you survive."

Lightning gulped. He had not expected James to say that. But then he shook his hood. James was just trying to get inside his head and unsettle him. Other racers had tried that on him in the past, without much success.

"Racers! Start your engines!"

Lightning grinned when he heard the familiar roar of V8 engines revving as loud as they possibly could all around him. A rush of adrenalin shot through him, but he knew he'd have to be patient. He'd get to race soon enough.

Once the racers for the first stint had cleared pit row, Lightning and Jamie made their way over to the wall in order to watch the start. Dutto and JJ joined them. They watched intently as the racers returned to line up on the grid. Dutto watched Paul's tyres closely as he inched his way up to the white line that marked his grid position in pole. Further down pit row, JJ was doing the same with Craig, as were the other teams' engineers with their respective racers.

"Just another couple of centimetres, Paul," Dutto said over the radio. "Right, hold it! That's good. You're right on the line. Don't move."

Paul revved his engine loudly as he turned his focus to the starting lights, which were red. Looking down pit row, Lightning saw that Craig was also revving his engine. In fact, all the racers were by now. At the back of the grid, the starter raised his green flag. Before Lightning could even blink, there was a deafening roar of engines, a screech of tyres and a cheer from the crowd as the racers took off. The race had begun!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 9

Thirty laps into the race, things were looking good for the Redbulldozer Racing Team. Paul was leading the race by a considerable margin, while Craig had moved up to seventh. Lightning and Jamie were inside the pit shed, being prepared for their stints.

"Is Jamie ready to go out?" Leyland asked the pit crew.

"Yes, Leyland!" one of them replied.

Leyland nodded. The pit crew then focused their attention on Lightning, ensuring that his racing tyres were bolted on securely, and that his fuel tank was filled to the brim.

"Okay, Paul," Dutto said over the radio. "Come in on this lap."

"Affirmative," Paul replied.

Jamie moved into position in pit row, directly in front of where Paul was supposed to stop. Lightning watched the TV screens closely as Paul entered pit row. He then watched as Paul stopped in the pit, directly behind Jamie.

"Okay, go, go, go, go!" Dutto shouted to Jamie. The champion race car promptly turned out onto the track to begin his stint.

"Great changeover, guys," Leyland said, nodding his approval. He looked at Lightning. "I want to see you do as clean a changeover as that one."

"I'll do my best, Leyland."

Paul drove into the pit shed, looking satisfied with his stint. "You'll be fine, Lightning," he told him as he grabbed a can of oil.

"Get into position, Lightning," JJ instructed.

Lightning did so. He revved his engine. He was more than ready to race.

All of a sudden, the crowd exclaimed loudly, and Lightning saw some racing officials waving yellow flags. The safety car drove out of pit row and onto the track, lights flashing.

"What's going on?" Lightning asked over his radio. It was too noisy to talk normally.

"One of the Kelly brother's just landed in the sand trap," JJ replied. "We're under safety car conditions, so racing's been suspended. Craig? Come in now."

"Affirmative," Craig said over the radio.

Leyland frowned with concern. "Lightning's not going to have enough fuel to complete his stint if we send him out a lap early."

"I'm aware of that," JJ replied. "We'll just have to do a 'splash and dash' around lap sixty."

"Or we could leave him out longer and do a proper pit stop around lap eighty," Leyland suggested.

"I'm in favour of that option," JJ agreed. "Did you hear that, Lightning?"

"Yes."

He could hear Craig coming up behind him. Lightning revved his engine again.

"Okay, Lightning, you're good to go," JJ said.

Lightning didn't need to be told twice. He accelerated out of pit row just as fast as the rules permitted him to, and he fell into third place behind the safety car. After a lap, the safety car peeled of back into pit row, and the green flags came out.

"We're back racing now, Lightning," JJ told him.

But Lightning didn't need to be told that. He was already racing. Jamie was in the lead, followed by Frosty.

"Who's behind me, JJ?" Lightning asked.

"McLaughlin's behind you by two lengths. Don't overtake anyone yet. Wait until the field settles down."

"Affirmative."

It took Lightning a few laps to settle into a rhythm, but once he had, he started to push himself a bit harder. The kerbs were nothing like he'd ever experienced before. No matter where he hit them, they sent him flying up into the air. The landings were hard, and the impacts radiated through him badly. But he shook it off. After all, he wasn't the only one who had to endure such rough riding. Turns two, three and four were the worst, because the corners came in quick succession.

All too soon, Lightning noticed that he was starting to run low on fuel. "JJ? I'm going to have to pit for fuel."

"Got that. We were just about to bring you in. We'll do a full pit stop."

"Affirmative."

Lightning turned into pit row, and he decelerated down to pit row speed. One of the pit crew members was holding up a board, showing where Lightning needed to stop. Lightning stopped just centimetres from it, and the pit crew immediately leapt into action. One began refuelling Lightning, while the rest of the crew members set to work changing all his tyres. The tyre change was smooth and fast, and they were done within ten seconds.

"We're just waiting on fuel," JJ told Lightning.

"Come on," Lightning whispered. He was anxious to continue racing.

The moment fuel started to flow through the overflow pipe, the pit crew member yanked the nozzle out of Lightning's fuel inlet. "Clear!" he shouted.

"You're good to go, Lightning," JJ said.

Lightning floored it, and he drove straight back out onto the track. This time, it didn't take him quite as long to settle back into his rhythm.

"Who am I racing, JJ?" he asked.

"You're about three seconds behind Lee Wheelsworth. He's in twelfth."

"Thanks."

Nothing much happened over the next forty-five-odd laps. Three racers spun off into the grass or sand, but none of them warranted the deployment of the safety car. Lightning concentrated on closing the gap between himself and Lee. Unlike in the Piston Cup, overtaking here was extremely difficult. He came close several times, but Lee always managed to cut him off.

Soon, Lightning began to get frustrated. JJ was going to bring him in on lap a hundred and thirty, which was about fifteen laps more than the eighty he was required to do, but that was fine. Obviously, Leyland was happy with his performance and he believed that Lightning had what it took to put in a longer stint.

Finally, Lightning started lap a hundred and thirty. He was showing signs of tiring, and his fuel level was starting to get low again.

"Come in on this lap, okay?" JJ said.

"Affirmative."

Because of his lowering fuel level, Lightning was unable to stay with Lee, so he eased off a bit. As he approached turn six, Lightning was surprised when Lee failed to turn. Then it happened. Lee just went shooting off the track, across the grass and finally slamming head-on into the tyre wall – hard. Lightning braced himself to take evasive action in case Lee rolled back onto the track, but fortunately he didn't. Lightning was shocked to see just how badly damaged Lee's front end was. He was bleeding oil from his mouth, and smoke was seeping from his engine.

"Concentrate, Lightning," JJ said soothingly. "Lee will be okay."

Lightning forced himself to focus on the race. He hadn't gone far when he saw officials waving yellow caution flags.

"Safety car has been deployed," JJ informed him, just as he turned into pit row.

Lightning knew that everything counted on him and Craig having a clean changeover. Ahead, in the Redbulldozer pit bay, he could see Craig in position. Timing his braking to perfection, Lightning stopped directly behind Craig. The second all of Lightning's wheels had stopped, Craig took off.

"Great work, Lightning," JJ said.

Breathing heavily, Lightning slowly entered the pit shed. The pit crew began fussing over him, refuelling him and giving him some coolant to drink, as well as a hose down with ice cold water. Leyland came over to him.

"Well done, Lightning," he praised. "You lived up to my expectations. Once you've cooled off, I want you to go and see Dr Anderson again. Hopefully, I won't have to put you out again during this race, but keep your radio on in case we need you."

"Okay," Lightning agreed.

A few minutes later, Lightning left the pit shed. It was just starting to spit. He breathed a sigh of relief. Leyland wouldn't send him out again now. He didn't fancy racing in the rain anyway.

After Lightning had undergone his physiotherapy, he returned to the pit shed, just in time to see the end of the race. The light rain had stopped by now. Paul was back out, and he still retained the lead for him and Jamie. Lightning was pleasantly surprised to see Craig racing in fourth place. He joined Jamie and the rest of the team over at the pit row wall to watch the finish. He cheered along with everyone else as Paul crossed the finish line in first, followed by James Courtney and Garth Tander. Craig crossed in fourth, still trying to overtake Garth even as they crossed the finish line.

"Well done, guys!" Dutto cheered, and he began tyre-slapping with the rest of the crew. Lightning noticed that Leyland was still inside the pit shed, studying the statistics. Jamie followed his gaze.

"Leyland never gets excited about a win," he explained. "The only time he celebrates is if we win the team championship. He doesn't care how well we go individually. For him, it's all about teamwork."

Lightning nodded thoughtfully. "I figured that."

"You look disappointed."

"I am a bit. I'm not used to _not _being on the podium."

Jamie chuckled. "Neither am I. I'd better go and collect my trophy. See ya later!"

Lightning sigh tiredly. He drove over to Leyland.

"You did very well today, Lightning," Leyland said without looking up from the computers.

"But I ended my stint in eighth."

"That's not important. Your changeovers were clean, and so was your pit stop. Your lap times were also very consistent." He glanced at Lightning with a smile. "Don't go beating yourself up. It was your very first V8 Supercars race, and you handled it like a pro! There are a few things we need to work on, but the main problem is your fear."

"What? I'm not afraid of racing!"

"I never said that. Maybe I should explain. You're not used to tail slides or taking sharp corners at speed. I've watched videos of you racing on dirt, and I know you can power slide, but you can't do that here. So, you need to get over your fear of hitting the walls, and start attacking the corners aggressively, the way Jamie does. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"I think so."

"It's not your fault. You're just not used to this kind of racing. But we've got a lot more to do to get you ready for Bathurst. But now, we'd better get over to the podium for the trophy presentation."

…

A few hours later, Lightning returned to his hotel suite. He'd been overwhelmed with everyone congratulating him, but he really didn't feel like he deserved it. Sighing deeply, he parked himself in the middle of the room to reflect on things. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Dutto drove into the room. "Hey. I couldn't help noticing you looked a bit deflated after the race."

"I just didn't do as well as I wanted to. Sorry I let you guys down."

"What are you talking about? You were fantastic out there!"

"That's what Leyland said too."

"He said it, because it's true. Lightning, the V8 Supercars is the hardest Touring Car championship in the world. You surely didn't expect to just come out and win your very first race, did you?"

"No… But I didn't expect to do so badly either."

"Lightning… In this kind of racing, eighth is a brilliant result. And you didn't come eighth; you and Craig came fourth! That is an amazing result, and it's helped Craig retain second place overall in the championship behind Jamie. We've had a fantastic day! Seriously, even finishing a V8 Supercars race in one piece is an achievement. For us, technical issues are a minor failure, and crashing out is a major failure. You didn't have any technical issues, and you didn't crash, so you didn't fail."

Lightning was silent for a moment while he considered that. Then, he asked in a whisper, "How's Lee?"

"It looked a lot worse than it actually was. They're keeping him in hospital overnight just to monitor him. He's badly shaken up, but his injuries were purely superficial. He might need a bit of dental work though. He lost a couple of teeth, but at this stage, he will race at Bathurst. He was incredibly lucky. That was the fastest crash ever recorded in V8 Supercars history!"

Dutto smiled, trying to help Lightning feel better, but Lightning still looked down-heartened and distracted. Dutto sighed as the realisation of what was bothering Lightning dawned on him.

"You're homesick, aren't you?"

"Maybe. I just can't help worrying about the Piston Cup. What if everyone's right? What if Tex did set me up just to get me out of the way so Jimmy could win?"

"I don't follow you."

Sighing again, Lightning told him about his conversation with Harv. Dutto frowned the whole time he was speaking.

"Give me your phone, please?"

"Why?" Lightning asked as he passed it over.

"I'm confiscating this until after the Enduro Cup is over. I'll let you have it back if an urgent or important call comes through, but I'll handle everything else. You need to concentrate on what you're doing here. Forget about the Piston Cup until you get back to America. Bathurst is _the _hardest race in the whole world. You need to focus on it, and nothing else. I'll leave you now. Goodnight."

Shortly after Dutto had gone, Mater joined Lightning. "It's in da drawer," he told Lightning softly.

"Thank you, Mater. You're an awesome friend. If you see Sally, please tell her I've gone to bed. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah. Goodnight, bud. And congratulations."

"Thanks Mater."

Once Mater had gone, Lightning entered his bedroom, and he closed the door, locking it behind him. He then slowly opened the drawer. What he saw made him smile. Inside was a solid gold hubcap, encrusted with, not just white diamonds, but also five very rare pink diamonds that formed a circle around the centre. It had cost him a small fortune, but it was completely worth it. Now, he'd just have to keep it hidden from prying eyes until the right moment…

**Please review! The results and events that occur in this chapter are based on the 2014 Sandown 500. If you'd like to see footage of the crash involving Lee Holdsworth (Wheelsworth in this story), you can by Googling '2014 Sandown 500 Lee Holdsworth crash'. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 10

Despite being tired after his exertion the day before, Lightning was up early the next morning to watch the Piston Cup highlights on TV. He was anxious to know if Jimmy had won or not. Sure enough, he had, with Junior once again coming in second.

Lightning's tank churned as he watched his rival receiving all the media attention after the race. He felt both anxious and jealous. But then, Jimmy said something that infuriated him.

"Jimmy, do you think you'll be able to win the Piston Cup this year?" Kori asked him.

"Easily, now the Lightning's out of the way. Yeah, we could all see that he was getting bored with winning, and so all that was needed was for someone to dangle a carrot in front of him to get him to the other side of the world. By the time he gets back, he won't be able to win again quite so easily, I'll see to that!"

"There's a rumour going around saying that Tex arranged to have Lightning sent to Australia just so you could win the Piston Cup. Is that true?"

"I can't comment on that, I'm sorry."

Lightning nearly threw the remote through the TV screen! Instead, he just switched it off. Inside, he was raging. So, it was true! Tex had deliberately set him up somehow! He felt both hurt and betrayed.

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Lightning said softly.

Dutto entered, slipping Lightning's phone across the floor to him. "I think you'd better take these calls," was all he said before leaving again.

Almost immediately, the song, 'Love is an Open Door' rang out from the phone. Sighing despondently, Lightning answered it. "Hello?"

"Lightning?" It was Harv.

"Yeah."

"Thank goodness! I've been trying to get through to you all evening! Some guy called Dutto kept answering, saying that you weren't available."

"He confiscated my phone because I was worrying about the Piston Cup too much. I'm guessing that's what you were trying to phone me about?"

"Yeah. Seriously, the whole thing's being blown way out of proportion! This is a major PR crisis! Some cars are saying that this is a sign that you're planning to retire by sneaking away quietly. Others are saying that you've secretly moved to Australia."

"And what is Tex saying?"

"Nothing. He refuses to comment."

"I see. Well, then there's only one thing I can do…"

…

A few hours later, Lightning joined the rest of the Triple Eight team inside the pit shed for a post-race debrief. Leyland didn't really have much to criticise, except for Craig's lack of speed. Disheartened by Leyland's criticism, Craig kicked a bit of loose rubber from a tyre with his wheel. Lightning couldn't help but feel sorry for his co-racer. But then, he had an idea.

After Leyland had dismissed everyone, Lightning drove over to him. "Leyland? Can I have a word with you for a moment, please?"

"Sure, Speedster."

Lightning groaned. "Oh, not you as well!"

"If the wheel fits, wear it! What's up? You're not still upset by your result yesterday, are you?"

"No, I'm fine with it now. I'm just not used to not winning, you know? I guess it kinda got to me a bit."

Leyland nodded. "Jamie gets that way too sometimes."

"Yeah. Well, anyway, I've got a bit of a PR issue back home, so I was wondering if I could go back there for a couple of weeks, please?"

Leyland frowned. "Am I allowed to know what the PR issue is?"

Lightning told him. "Harv's doing his best to convince them that I am going to come back to the Piston Cup, but so far it's not working."

"And what do you think going back to the States is going to do?"

"Well, if I race…"

"Absolutely not!"

"But… You let Paul race in between races during the Enduro Cup! He's racing again next weekend, isn't he?"

"It's different with Paul. The races he goes in aren't as stressful. Or dangerous."

"He could still be badly injured or even killed in them! Please, Leyland! I'll go crazy if I don't race again soon! Seriously, a whole month without even being allowed to touch a racetrack will kill me! And those rolling roads are no substitute! Look, it'll be easy. Dr Andrews can remove my speed limiter and change my wheels back; I go home for two weeks, win a couple of races to prove that I'm still in the Piston Cup to win it. Then, I'll come back here and prepare for Bathurst."

Leyland shook his hood. "No, Lightning. It's out of the question."

"Fine! Then I won't help you with Craig." And Lightning started to drive away in a huff.

"Wait! Lightning!"

Lightning braked, but he didn't turn around. Leyland sighed in defeat.

"Can you help Craig go faster?"

Lightning turned back around to face Leyland. "I have a theory, but it'll mean taking Craig back home with me. I think I know what's wrong with him though."

"Now how could you know that? We've had Craig tested by some of the best doctors in the country, and they can't figure out what's wrong with him! What makes you think you do?"

"As I said, it's only a theory, but if it proves to be correct, he needs to come with me to New York to see a specialist friend of mine."

"Now you must tell me your theory."

"Sorry. I'll only tell you if, a: it proves to be correct, and b: you let me race in the Piston Cup."

Leyland sighed again. "You're blackmailing me, aren't you?"

"No. I'm just trying to broker a deal with you. You won't let me go otherwise. And trust me, you don't wanna see me when I'm hyper from not racing!"

"Okay, I'm probably shooting myself in the tyre here, but… Okay. You and Craig may go. And, yes, you may race."

"Thank you!" Lightning gushed enthusiastically. Turning, he crashed straight into a stack of tyres, and they toppled down directly on top of him! "Ow! Oh, great! Can someone get me outta here? Please?"

Leyland just chuckled. "Serves you right, Speedster!"

…

"But, Lightning! I don't understand what's going on?" Craig said as he and Lightning drove towards the Sandown racetrack's gym.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Leyland's letting you come home to America with me to see a specialist. That is, if my theory proves to be correct."

"And what theory is that?"

"I'm just about to find out."

They entered the gym. Fortunately, it was empty.

"Okay, get up on the rolling road," Lightning instructed. "I'll secure your front wheels."

"And what makes you the expert all of a sudden?"

"Do you have a degree in Sport's Science?"

"Ah…no."

"Well, I do, and I've learned a lot. Go on, now."

Craig reluctantly drove onto the rolling road, and Lightning pressed the button to clamp down his front wheels.

"Now what?"

"I want you to drive at your maximum top speed."

"How long for?'

"Until I tell you to stop."

Craig turned on his engine. "I hope this isn't going to be a marathon."

"Ten minutes, tops."

Revving his engine, Craig took off. Within a minute, he'd reached two hundred and fifty kilometres an hour. Lightning watched the digital speedometer on the computer screen in front of him. After about five minutes, Craig finally levelled out at two hundred and ninety-three kilometres an hour.

"Are you totally maxed out?" Lightning asked, shouting about the roar of Craig's engine.

"Yes!" Craig panted. "That's it! I can't go any faster!"

"Okay, you can stop now!"

Craig slowly rolled to a stop. "So? Is your theory correct?"

"I'm not sure," Lightning replied. He hit a button to print out a copy of all the data. "When was your speed limiter installed?"

"Years ago, when I first started racing. It must be over twenty years old by now."

Lightning scoffed. "It's nearly as old as me then! What was your top speed before it was installed?"

"I'm not sure, but it would've had to have been somewhere over three hundred. Maybe about three hundred and twenty?"

"Thanks. If you don't mind, I'll email a copy of this data and your answers to my specialist friend, Dr Spark. If he can't fix you, nobody can."

"So, you think that something's wrong with my speed limiter?"

"I'd say so. Dr Spark will be able to explain it far better than I can."

"But, what do you think is wrong with it?"

"I think it's miss-calibrating. You see, because of its age, its cutting off your top speed at two hundred and ninety-three kilometres an hour, instead of three hundred. But please, don't tell anyone about this. You're my ticket to me spending the next two weeks racing back home! And, I want Leyland to believe I've worked a miracle. Wouldn't you prefer to surprise him by racing faster than Jamie at our next race?"

"Well… Yeah, I guess so."

"It'll serve him right for picking on you so much!"

"True. Okay, I won't tell anyone. And thank you. I think you might be on the right track. No pun intended!"

"That's okay. I'm glad to help. If this works out, we could, hopefully, end up on the podium at Bathurst."

"You really have no idea how hard Bathurst is, do you?"

"Nope! But I'm sure you'll teach me everything you know about it."

"That'll take a lifetime!"

"I haven't got quite that long, sorry. How about the major tips instead?"

"I'll be happy to teach you those."

Smiling, the two race cars left the gym.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 11

**Three Days Later**

Dr Spark glowered at Lightning. "This is highly irregular."

"I know, but I had no choice. Only a few people know that I'm here."

With a reluctant sigh, Dr Spark moved out of the doorway to his office, allowing Lightning and Craig room to enter. Once they had, he closed the door.

It was shortly after midnight, and Lightning and Craig had arrived in New York City only a few hours earlier. Using the cover of darkness, they'd made their way directly to the hospital where Dr Spark still worked. Lightning had phoned him the moment they'd landed to tell him they were coming to see him. He knew it had been very short notice, but it couldn't be helped.

Sally had returned to America with Lightning and Craig, but she'd already gone to Radiator Springs to check on the Cozy Cone. Mater had decided to stay in Australia for two reasons. The first was to take care of the gold hubcap he'd purchased on Lightning's behalf, and the second was so he could do some exploring. Lightning had been surprised when his best friend had decided to stay behind, but even he could see that Mater was falling in love with Australia. Probably because most of the guys he'd met were larrikins like himself. He fitted right in!

Dr Spark was still frowning crossly at Lightning. He was ignoring Craig. "I am a very busy car, Lightning. I can't just drop everything whenever you want just because you're a celebrity."

Lightning yawned, despite himself. He was feeling jetlagged again. "Sorry. I've just got so much happening right now. I don't want the media to know I'm here. It'll ruin my plan." He yawned again.

Seeing how tired Lightning was, Dr Spark softened. "You didn't tell me what you wanted me to do for you."

"I know. Did you get my email?

"Yes, although you were vague on the details."

"Okay. Long story short. Craig's speed limiter is miss-calibrating. It's cutting off his top speed at two hundred and ninety-three kilometres an hour instead of three hundred. That's making him struggle to get up to the higher speeds on the racetrack. His own doctor failed to diagnose it, and so I acted on a hunch after Craig's teammate, Jamie, told me that he also has Jaguar Syndrome. Jamie I mean, not Craig. I think. I mean, I hope I got that right. My brain is so screwed up right now. I'm so sleepy…" And Lightning yawned yet again.

"What's Jaguar Syndrome?" Craig asked.

"Never mind now, Craig," Lightning sighed. "It's too complicated to go into now. Anyway, Dr Spark, I was hoping you'd be able to fix it."

"Lightning… I am a specialist paediatrician. Not a speed limiter specialist."

"I know, but you helped me so much with mine, and I didn't know who else to turn to. Please. He needs help before our next race. Otherwise…"

"Okay, Lightning. Go and get some sleep before you actually turn your brain inside out. Craig? Come over here please, and open up your hood for me."

"My what?"

"Your bonnet," Lightning yawned.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I knew that. I'm just not quite thinking straight either," Craig sighed. "I hate jetlag."

"Me too," Lightning agreed. His eyelids were drooping heavily.

Shaking his hood, Dr Spark began to examine Craig's speed limiter. "Wow! It is old! I haven't seen this model in about twenty years! I'm not surprised it's miss-calibrating."

"Can you fix it?" Craig asked.

"I can try. But wouldn't it be easier to have it replaced?"

"Maybe, but a V8 Supercars official would have to watch its installation. They're really fussy about such things. It'd be great if you could re-calibrate it for me, please. I can have it replaced after the Gold Coast six-hundred, assuming that it is the actual problem."

"Okay. But a re-calibration will require surgery, since this speed limiter is a permanent one. If it was a temporary one, you'd only require local anaesthetic, instead of general one."

"Lightning said you might have to operate. When can it be done? We've got a race in about three weeks. If one of us drops out, we're both out. It's as simple as that."

Dr Spark frowned thoughtfully. "I can operate tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. When did you last eat?"

"About five hours ago."

"Good. You're not to have anything else to eat or drink until the operation, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'll go and arrange a room for you to stay in overnight. Lightning?" Turning around, Dr Spark smiled a little when he saw that Lightning had fallen fast asleep.

…

"Lightning? Wake up."

Moaning, Lightning reluctantly opened his eyes. Dr Spark was standing in front of him.

"They've been working you hard downunder, have they?"

"No, not really," Lightning said with a yawn. "Just jetlagged, that's all." He looked around Dr Spark's office. "Where's Craig?"

"In a ward. I'm going to operate on him soon. I'd better escort you home. It's already after one o'clock in the morning, and you're in no state to drive on your own. Are you staying with your aunt?"

Lightning nodded sleepily. "Yeah. But you don't need to escort me. I'll be fine now that I've had a nap."

"Uh huh. Sure. Look at you! You can barely even keep your eyes open! Let's go before I decide to wake you up with the jump leads to your battery!"

"That might actually be effective."

"Don't tempt me!"

Chuckling, Lightning followed Dr Spark out into the hallway. He watched as the doctor locked his office. They then drove side by side down the deserted hallway.

Twenty minutes later, they'd almost arrived at the Daimler Building. Lightning had insisted upon taking as many back roads as possible to avoid him being seen.

"You see, I want everyone to believe that I'm still in Australia," he told Dr Spark in a low voice as they approached the skyscraper. "That way, when I show up to the race on Sunday, I can give all the critics the shock of their life! And it'll be all the more sweeter if I actually win the race."

Dr Spark shook his hood in disbelief. "How on earth are you going to keep yourself hidden for the next four days?"

"It'll be a struggle, I know, but I brought heaps of video games with me to keep me occupied during the day."

"And how are you going to keep yourself fit?"

"There's a gym in the Daimler building. I can sneak down there after everyone's gone to sleep. It's hardly used anyway."

"I guess that's the best you can do then," Dr Spark sighed. "I'll bring Craig here once he recovers. I just hope I can fix that speed limiter of his."

"I'm sure you can," Lightning said, smiling.

"I wish I had your confidence. Anyway, here we are. Goodnight, and I'll see you again in a few days."

"Goodnight, Dr Spark." And, yawning, Lightning went over to the external intercom system. He pressed the penthouse button with his tyre. It took a few minutes, but someone finally answered it.

"Yes?" It was the butler, Mr Hood.

"It's Lightning, Mr Hood. I told you I'd be back late."

"No kidding," Mr Hood muttered sleepily.

The bolt on the side door unlocked, and Lightning entered the dark building. Everyone was obviously asleep. Going over to the lifts, Lightning entered one, and he ascended it up to the penthouse.

The penthouse was still and silent by the time Lightning entered it. He didn't need to switch on any lights, because the glow of lights from all the nearby buildings gave Lightning more than enough light to see by. The curtains in most rooms were rarely closed at night.

Lightning glanced around the interior of the penthouse. The place held a lot of memories for him. It was where he'd been raised as a child, but it was also the place where his father had been so treacherously murdered. Lightning shuddered as he drove past the lounge room. The image of his poor father lying there with a bullet through his front bumper still haunted him, even though it had occurred sixteen years earlier.

Going into the kitchen, Lightning took a can of chilled high-performance oil out of the fridge. He was glad his aunt had remembered to stock up on his favourite drinks. It showed that she still cared about him.

Taking the drink to his bedroom, Lightning went over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and he gazed out over New York City. He was wide awake now, and he no longer felt tired. Also, he had no idea if he'd be able to keep himself hidden for four days, but he had to try. He'd probably drive his Aunt May crazy in the meantime.

One thing was certain. His body clock was completely messed up!

**Please review! I openly welcome constructive criticism. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 12

"Lightning? I'm just going out. Do you need anything?" Aunt May asked, glancing inside Lighting's bedroom. He was fully engrossed in the video game he was playing. Sighing, Aunt May drove over to the TV, and she switched it off.

"Hey!" Lightning exclaimed.

"I think it's time you went and did something else. You're becoming way too addicted to that game."

"No, I'm not!" Lightning protested.

Aunt May just pushed him towards the bedroom door. "Go down to the gym and do some weights. You needn't worry about being seen. I've booked the whole gym in my name for a private session."

"Thanks," Lightning muttered.

"And as I was trying to say, I'm going out. Is there anything you need?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks."

They entered the lift together. A few minutes later in the foyer, they separated, with Lightning quickly ducking into the gym.

For a full hour, Lightning worked out on all the gym equipment. He wasn't feeling too bad at the end of it, but he knew that wasn't good enough; he had a four hundred mile race down in Delaware the following evening. Craig was being released from hospital later that afternoon, and so he and Lightning would travel to Delaware that evening, under the cover of darkness. They planned to arrive at the racetrack early in the morning. Lightning couldn't wait to see Jimmy's face when he arrived at the racetrack!

Lightning had just returned to the penthouse when the phone rang. He was about to answer it, when he remembered that he couldn't. Even the concierge didn't know he was there! Luckily, Mr Hood was on hand to answer it.

"Dr Spark and Mr Louds are here to see you, sir," Mr Hood informed him upon answering the phone.

"I'm expecting them," Lightning replied.

Nodding, Mr Hood told the concierge to send them up.

Dr Spark and Craig entered the penthouse a few minutes later. Lightning was thrilled to see that Craig was grinning broadly.

"You did it, Lightning!" he said before Lightning could ask if he'd been right about Craig's speed limiter. "It was the speed limiter! Thanks to your good friend, Dr Spark here, I can now easily get up to three hundred kilometres per hour!"

"I had to keep reminding myself that the speed limiter was set to kilometres, not miles!" Dr Spark added, making Lightning chuckle.

"Thank you so much, Dr Spark!" Lightning said, beaming. "You're a genius! I owe you one."

"You'll owe me two if you win this big race you're talking about. What was it? Bol-."

"Bathurst," Craig and Lightning said in unison. Then they laughed.

"Right, well, I think I'll leave you two now," Dr Spark said with a wink. "Let me know how it goes."

"We will!" Lightning promised as Dr Spark entered the lift. Lightning turned to Craig. "Have you ever played 'Maniac'?

"Nope. I'm not really into video games, but I'm happy to give it a go. It'll help kill time."

Grinning, Lightning took Craig into his bedroom, and they settled down in front of the TV to play.

…

Six hours later, at about 10:30pm, Mack parked himself along with Lightning's transporter around the back of the Daimler building, under the cover of darkness. A few minutes later, Lightning and Craig scurried out of the building's back door, and they quickly entered the transporter.

"Let's get outta here, Mack, before anyone sees us!" Lightning whispered over the intercom.

"Gotcha, boss," Mack replied, and he set off.

"At least I don't have to qualify for this race," Lightning said to Craig as they settled down for the journey to Delaware.

"Why not?"

"In the Piston Cup, at this time of the year, it's only the top ten racers who are battling it out for the trophy. The rest are just there to make things harder for us."

Craig scoffed. "That's not very fair. But, then again, the Piston Cup is very different to the V8s."

"Yes," Lightning agreed. "It is."

Shortly after eight o'clock the next morning, Mack drove into the racetrack in Dover, Delaware, and he carefully parked the transporter alongside the others. After he'd unhooked himself, he knocked softly on the door of the rear trailer.

"We're here, guys."

The ramp lowered, and Lightning drove out, followed by Craig. Lightning yawned and stretched.

"Nice driving, Mack, and perfect timing. I can't wait to see everyone's faces at the breakfast! Speaking of which, I'm starving!"

Mack and Craig chuckled. Lightning then headed towards the main grandstand. Craig followed him. Lightning knew that everyone would be gathering inside the main hall for the breakfast, and he was right. Fortunately, most of the racers were busy chatting to their team bosses, so Lightning and Craig were able to slip inside unnoticed. Seeing Jimmy talking to Tex, Lightning drove over to them.

"Hey, guys!" he said, greeting them cheerfully.

Tex and Jimmy nearly gagged on their oil in surprise. Light smirked with satisfaction at their reaction.

"L-Lightning?" Tex gasped. "What on earth are you doing here? I thought you were racing in Australia?"

"With a whole month between Sandown and Bathurst, did you seriously expect to believe that I would be content to stay there?" Lightning retorted. "Oh, and, by the way, this is Craig Louds. Craig, this is Tex and Jimmy. Jimmy is my main rival in the Piston Cup, and Tex is his boss." He looked straight at Tex again. "I know what's been going on, but you're not going to get away with it. You'd better hope Jimmy can live up to your expectations, because I'm not going to let anything stand in the way of my seventh Piston Cup."

And with that, Lightning and Craig drove away, heading towards the Rust-eze team. Tex was clearly seething. He turned to Jimmy.

"You've only got one order today, Jimmy. Knock Lightning out of the race!"

Jimmy looked a little bit shocked, but he nodded. "Yes, sir."

But they didn't realise that they'd been overheard…


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 13

"Okay. This is it. Speed. I. Am. Speed!"

"You okay there, Speedster?" Craig asked, snapping Lightning out of his concentration.

"I always do this before my races, if you don't mind!"

"Sorry! But they do say that talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

"Am I displaying the rest of the signs?"

"Err...no."

"Well then, please be quiet."

"Sorry."

"Shhh!"

Someone knocked on the door of the transporter. "You two ready in there?" It was Jerry, Lightning's trainer.

Lightning practically screamed with annoyance.

"Just give us another minute!" Craig shouted in reply. "Lightning's not quite in the zone yet!"

"Would everyone just SHUT UP? Please!"

"I was only-."

Lightning almost jumped on top of Craig! "One more word out of you, and I swear I'll have you sent to the crushers!"

Craig bit his tongue. For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the muffled cheering from the crowd outside. It was very late in the afternoon, and the race was about to start. It would be a night race, under lights. Lightning always preferred night races. He didn't like racing in the heat of the day.

After the breakfast, Lightning had gone to see the Piston Cup officials, so they could check to see that Lightning's temporary speed limiter had been disconnected. It was still in position inside his engine bay, but it had been unplugged. Surprisingly, the officials had given him permission to run on E85 fuel, instead of the required E15 that the other racers were running on. They'd revealed to Lightning that they'd been considering changing the racers over to a higher grade bio-fuel for awhile now, so Lightning's performance that day would be an interesting experiment. Lightning's wheels had also been changed back to the five-nut type, instead of the single nut that was used in the V8s. His numbers had also been repainted, but he'd opted to keep the Triple Eight logos on the tips of his spoiler, along with the words 'Redbulldozer Racing Australia' that had been stuck across the top of it.

Looking up at the TV screen inside the transporter, Craig could see that the fans were getting impatient. But before he could say anything, Lightning spoke.

"Are you ready now, Craig?"

"I've been ready for the past ten minutes."

Lightning ignored him. "Remember to do it exactly as we rehearsed."

"All I need is your signal."

Nodding, Lightning flashed his headlights. Then, in unison, Lightning and Craig revved their engines as loudly as they could. The noise inside the transporter was deafening!

Outside, nearly every single car inside the stadium could hear the roar of what they thought was Lightning's engine. Then, spellbound, they watched as the transporter's ramp was lowered. To the crowd's utmost amazement, Craig emerged first, revving his engine loudly as he rolled down the ramp and made his way through the press, who, in their confusion, began photographing him.

"That can't be McQueen," Craig heard someone whisper.

Smirking, Craig flashed his rear brake lights, giving Lightning the next signal. Grinning, Lightning drove out of the transporter, moving a lot faster than Craig had. Bewildered, the press hurried out of his way, while Lightning began spinning doughnuts. By the time the smoke had cleared, Craig had vanished.

"Now, who was it that said I'd decided to retire secretly?" Lightning asked the press, who were now cowering back. Chastened, they all looked down at the ground. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, I just thought I'd make it clear that, although I am doing a bit of racing in Australia, I'm not giving up on the Piston Cup until _I _decide to! Understood?"

Now that the press had been thoroughly chastened and rebuked, they made room for Lightning to pass. He made his way over to pit row.

"Nice to have you back safe and sound, Lightning," Ben Cruising, Lightning's crew chief smiled as he put on his headset. "Are you ready to teach the critics a lesson?"

"Ka-chow!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Chuckling, Lightning lined up along with the rest of the racers. He was in pole position, because he still had the most points.

"Can you hear me, Lightning," Ben asked.

"Loud and clear!"

"Good. Good luck out there today."

"Thanks, Ben."

As the racers entered the track behind the pace car, Junior moved up alongside Lightning.

"I didn't have a chance to tell you earlier, Lightning, but I overheard Tex order Jimmy to knock you out of the race. Be careful, all right?"

"I will, and thank you for that warning."

Junior fell back into third position, where he was supposed to be, leaving Jimmy directly behind Lightning. Lightning frowned. He knew that he had to get away from Jimmy and stay away from him.

"Ben?" Lightning said over the radio.

"Yeah?"

"Junior just warned me that Jimmy's gonna play rough today. I'm gonna have to go out hard and fast. Keep me informed of where he is, okay?"

"Will do. But how do you know Junior's telling the truth?"

"Junior's a clean racer, and he's my friend. I trust him."

"Very well then. Do what you think you need to do."

The pace car peeled off into pit row as the field of racers approached the starting line. The starter dropped his green flag. Lightning immediately floored it, accelerating as fast as he normally would during qualifying. The move caught everyone off-guard, including Jimmy! Nobody had expected Lightning to go flat out so early on in the race!

By the time Jimmy had recovered from his surprise, Lightning had already put about two seconds between them. Snarling, Jimmy began his pursuit.

Even though Lightning had only done one V8 Supercars race, the knowledge he'd learned in it worked in his favour now. Leyland's and Dutto's advice certainly hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Lightning attacked the walls with more aggression than he'd ever shown before, getting so close to them that, if he'd been wearing rear-view mirrors, the right-hand one would've been lost before the end of the first lap. The only downside to changing his usual racing line was the marbles. Lightning knew he'd have to go back to his old racing line before long, but for now, the new one was working for him. After just five laps, he was a whole quarter lap ahead of Jimmy.

"Look at Lightning McQueen go out there!" Darrell Cartrip exclaimed up in the commentary box. "Racing in the V8 Supercars has obviously done something for him."

"Or perhaps it's the E85 fuel he's running on," Brett Mustangburger suggested. "It's not illegal for him to use it, but we always thought that it would slow down the racers."

"Maybe Lightning will slow down later," Darrell said.

But Lightning wasn't slowing down. If anything, he was just about to set a new race lap record. Sure enough, a few seconds later, he did. The crowd, realising that they were witnessing something special, began cheering enthusiastically for their hero.

All too soon, it was time for the racers to make their first pit stop. Lightning got onto his radio.

"When should I come in, Ben?"

"Stay out for another lap," Ben ordered. "The E85 fuel seems to have altered your usual fuel consumption a bit."

"Copy that."

"We'll do a full pit stop."

So, while most of the other racers made their first pit stop, Lightning stayed out. Jimmy was one of the racers who pitted. He was still in the pits when Lightning came in to make his own pit stop. As he came to a stop, Lightning saw Craig watching the pit stop intently. As usual, the crew had Lightning's tyres changed within fifteen seconds, but his fuel would take a bit longer.

Finally, Ben said the words Lightning loved to hear. "You're good to go, Lightning!"

Just seconds before Ben gave Lightning the all clear to go, Jimmy took off. He shot past Lightning in pit row, just as the later was turning out of his pit. They narrowly avoided a collision. Furious, Lightning entered the track behind Jimmy.

"Ben? Can you lodge a protest, please?" Lightning asked over the radio.

"I'm already doing that. Just don't get too close to him. He's a lap behind you anyway."

"Copy that."

But keeping away from Jimmy was easier said than done. Although he tried to be subtle about it, Jimmy was clearly out to get Lightning. Then, Lightning heard some wonderful news.

"Jimmy's been black flagged for bad sportsmanship," Ben informed him. "He has to take a pit lane drive-through penalty."

Lightning couldn't help grinning. He watched as Jimmy begrudgingly turned into pit row. With renewed energy, Lightning accelerated back into the lead.

Just over a lap later, Lightning caught up with Jimmy after he'd served his pit lane penalty. Since Jimmy was occupying the inside of the track, Lightning instinctively moved to the outside. He'd had no choice, other than going onto the infield. He knew Jimmy would try something, and he was right.

Without warning, Jimmy suddenly moved to the outside, pushing Lightning into the wall.

"Ow!" Lightning yelped as he traded paint with the wall. "Back off, Jimmy!"

"Never!" Jimmy shouted.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lightning saw a flash of red overtake them. It was Junior. For a moment, Lightning wondered if he really had misjudged Junior, and that he'd decided to take advantage of the situation. But then, Junior did something completely unexpected.

Cutting in front of Jimmy, he decelerated so suddenly, that Jimmy smashed into the back of him. For a moment, Lightning couldn't see anything because of all the smoke, but then, somehow, miraculously, he emerged from all the carnage. But he couldn't continue on. Slowing down, he cut into the infield, where he turned around to see what had happened.

Junior was up against the wall, with his whole rear end crushed in. It was a superficial injury and so it wouldn't take too long to repair. However, Jimmy was unconscious. His whole jaw had been dislocated. The paramedics were already gathering around the stricken racers.

Lightning waited until the other racers had gone past, before he cautiously drove over to Junior. "Why?" was all he could ask.

"I think you know the answer," Junior panted. Then, in an almost inaudible voice, he added, "The King…"

Lightning drew in a short breath when he realised what Junior meant. He was doing for him what he had done for The King all those years earlier.

"Thank you," Lightning whispered sincerely.

"Don't thank me. Just finish the race!"

Seeing the racers approaching behind the pace car, Lightning turned back onto the track, and he accelerated after the field. Tears blurred his vision for a moment. He'd been greatly touched by Junior's selfless action. Now, he was determined to finish the race for Junior.

Lightning caught up with the back of the field just as the pace car turned into pit row. He now had a lot of work to do to make up the ground he'd lost, but he'd done it before, and he could do it again.

All too soon, there was just one lap left. Lightning had made a tremendous effort to now be in sixth place. He knew he wouldn't win this race, but with Jimmy and Junior crashed out, Lightning only needed to finish the race in one piece to retain his huge lead in the points race.

The racers entered the final lap. Lightning moved up alongside the current fifth place racer. He was on the outside, and almost in the marbles again. But as he came out of the second turn, he used gravity to help push him back down onto the racing line, cutting in front of the other racer.

As Lightning accelerated down the back straight, he moved into the slipstream of the current fourth place racer. He'd only have one shot at this, so he knew he had to time it right. He waited patiently, ready to pounce.

He made the slingshot move coming out of turn four. Accelerating hard, Lightning moved into fourth place as the racers thundered across the finish line. He'd finished, and after all that had happened, that was all that mattered.

When Lightning returned to his pit, Craig passed over his phone. "I think you'd better take this call."

Lightning took the phone. "Hello?"

"I don't care what excuses you come up with, but you and Craig are to be on the first available flight back to Brisbane in the morning, you hear me?" Leyland ordered firmly. "No buts or ifs, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Lightning muttered. After he'd hung up, he turned to Craig. "Who told him about my scrape with the wall?"

Craig shrugged. "It wasn't me!"

Frowning, Lightning glanced up at the Dinoco box in the grandstand. Tex was staring straight at him, clutching his phone with his wheel.

"Tex!" Lightning spat under his breath. His so-called 'friend' had turned on him in his desperation to win another Piston Cup. Lightning shook his hood in disbelief. There was nothing he could do about it now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 14

Just over thirty hours later, Lightning and Craig were parked side by side in Leyland's office back at the Triple Eight Race Engineering team headquarters. Nothing had gone right for Lightning since the end of his race in Delaware. He'd been unable to have his scratches and dents from the race repaired, so his side was really sore now. Then, Sally hadn't been prepared to head back to Australia so soon, so she'd remained behind in Radiator Springs, but she'd promised him emphatically that she'd be there for Bathurst. To make matters worse, shortly before Lightning and Craig had boarded their plane, Lightning had received a call from Mater to say that he'd been booked for accidentally driving the wrong way around a roundabout. Needless to say, the flight back to Australia had been very strained. Lightning hadn't wanted to talk, and Craig hadn't known what to say to him.

Leyland finally entered his office, and he parked behind his desk. He was talking into his phone.

"Yep, I understand. Just email the forms to me, and I'll sign them. No problem. Thank you. Bye."

Hanging up the phone, he looked at Craig. "New sponsor," he said by way of explanation.

"May I ask who, or is it a surprise?" Craig asked.

"It's no secret. You know I've been trying to secure it for ages."

Craig glanced at Lightning. "Not Dinoco?"

Lightning instantly paled and his tank churned badly. He had to get out of that office. Now!

Leyland saw Lightning pale. "Are you feeling okay, Lightning?"

"No," Lightning whimpered. "I need some fresh air, please."

Leyland hesitated, but then he nodded. Lightning sprinted out of the office and he hurried outside. Hiding himself in a corner, he began hyperventilating.

Ten minutes later, Dutto found Lightning. Leyland had asked him to check on Lightning, to make sure he was okay. Dutto cautiously approached the race car, who appeared to be extremely distressed.

"Hey, Speedster," he said gently to get Lightning's attention.

Lightning spun around to face him. He looked ready to take off at any moment.

"Whoa! Easy there, Speedster," Dutto soothed. "You weren't planning to do a runner, were you?"

"I can't deny that thought hasn't crossed my mind," Lightning retorted.

"What's going on?"

"Everything! Nothing's been right for me lately."

Dutto nodded. "Craig just told me about Sally and Mater. But that can't be it, surely?"

"No." Lightning sighed despondently. "Did you know that Leyland had secured a minor sponsorship deal with Tex?"

"I knew he was in negotiations. He's been wanting that Dinoco sponsorship for about three years now. I can admit that I haven't been in favour of having a Dinoco sponsorship. Redbulldozer's better."

"Tex ordered his racer, Jimmy, to knock me out of Sunday's race!" Lightning spat. He was trembling with rage now. "I was lucky Junior overheard their plans, and he was able to warn me about it before the race started. If he'd hadn't warned me, I'd probably be in hospital or worse by now! Tex used to be my friend, but he deliberately phoned Leyland after the race to tell him about my scrape with the wall. I'll bet he failed to tell Leyland that it was Jimmy who deliberately pushed me into it."

Dutto was silent for a moment while he contemplated what Lightning had just said. "Why would Tex order Jimmy to knock you out of the race?"

"Because he's desperate to win another Piston Cup to put team Dinoco back on top."

"I see. It's a bit of a low act though, even for Tex."

"Desperation makes cars do stupid things," Lightning agreed. Then he sighed tiredly.

"You haven't been sleeping well lately, have you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I can see the signs. Why don't you come back inside, and I'll get Dr Andrews and the boys to repair your injured side. I'm sure the pain's only making you more irritable than you otherwise would be. Then, JJ wants to see you in his office, to discuss Bathurst."

"Okay."

…

Two hours later, Lightning was feeling much better. He'd had his dents popped back into shape, his speed limiter reconnected, and a complete repaint. He's stickers were pretty much that same as they had been for Sandown, except he now had some of Triple Eight's sponsor's stickers along with his own. The painters had wanted to completely remove his lightning bolt stickers, but Lightning had flatly refused to let them touch those! And so, they'd compromised by putting Redbulldozer stickers over where his numbers would normally go. By the time they'd finished, Lightning actually looked like a V8 Supercar. There was just one more thing he needed…

"Rear view mirrors?" Lightning exclaimed excitedly when Dr Andrews showed them to him.

The doctor chuckled. "Yup! You'll need them for Bathurst. We can't let you rely on JJ to tell you what's going on behind you, so you're better off with them. No V8 Supercar would ever race without them."

"But… Don't they get damaged?"

"All the time. Don't worry. They're easy to replace. Unlike normal rear view mirrors, you won't be able to adjust these yourself. They're more or less just stuck on with suction cups. That way, they won't hurt you when they come off."

"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense," Lightning said as Dr Andrews attached them.

"Do you know how to use mirrors?"

"Yes. I used to have them before I became a racer."

"Good. Just making sure. You'd better go and see JJ now."

A few minutes later, Lightning sheepishly entered JJ's office. "Hey, JJ."

JJ looked up from his work. "Come in, Lightning. Have you heard the news?"

"About the Dinoco sponsorship? Yeah, I heard it. Congratulations."

"What for?"

"For securing it, of course."

JJ nodded thoughtfully. "I think you'd better close the door."

Lightning did so, and then he parked himself in front of JJ's desk.

"You obviously haven't heard 'part two' of the saga, have you? Well, it seems that a few minutes after you left Leyland's office, he phoned Tex back. Craig was kicked out of the office, but he said that Leyland and Tex had a rather heated argument, ending in Leyland refusing to accept the deal."

"Why?"

"Dunno. But I suspect it was to do with something Craig said to Leyland."

Lightning glanced in the direction of Leyland's office. 'Can you just give me a few minutes, please?" He drove out of the office before JJ could say anything.

Lightning found Craig down in the cafeteria, about to feast on a strawberry cream cupcake.

"You told Leyland about the way Tex treated me, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? He had a right to know that Tex ordered Jimmy to knock you out of the race. It's just as well I did tell him though. If there's one thing Leyland won't tolerate, it's disloyalty."

Before Lightning could say anything else, Dutto interrupted them.

"What's that, Craig?" he asked, pointing to the cupcake.

"It's just a snack."

"We're two weeks out from Bathurst, and you're going to eat all that fat and sugar? Forget it! Jeannette!"

The waitress came over to them. "Yes, Dutto?"

"How many times have I told you not to make things like this? It's too tempting for the racers. Get rid of it."

Jeanette quickly obeyed. "You boys will be the death of me!" she sighed. "I guess I'll have to go back to serving them under the counter."

Lightning couldn't help drooling as Jeanette took the cupcake away. He couldn't even remember the last cake he'd had!

"Snap out of it, Speedster," Dutto ordered. "JJ wants you back in his office immediately."

"You'd better not keep him waiting if you want to survive your next training session," Craig warned.

"Says the racer who always comes to work late!"

"Why, you little…!" Unable to think of the right word to use, Craig turned to Dutto. "Are you going to refund me for that cupcake?"

"Why should I? You were silly enough to order it!"

Chuckling, Lightning headed back upstairs to JJ's office. "Sorry about that, JJ," he apologised. "I had to ask Craig something. So… My training schedule?"

JJ opened up a file on his computer. "Tomorrow, I want you to do two hundred kilometres at two hundred and fifty kilometres an hour. By the time we get to Bathurst, I expect you to be able to easily do five-hundred kilometres at that speed. We also need to work on your turning circles, so I've got some exercises you can do to help strengthen that, along with weights. Your front axle is weak when it's compared with Craig's and Jamie's. Dutto has also planned a course of energy and protein oils for you to have. And I should warn you to follow his plan exactly. A few years ago, Jamie refused to have a protein oil before a race because he wasn't thirsty. Dutto had him connected up to a drip before he could figure out what was happening. He was a bit sore and sorry for himself after that race, but he's never refused Dutto's orders since. In fact, I don't think anybody has. They know what'll happen to them if they do."

"I can understand the energy oil, but why the protein?" Lightning asked.

"You'll understand once you've done Bathurst," was all JJ said.

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. The way they all talked to him about Bathurst made it seem like they didn't believe he'd be able to handle it. Well, he'd show them! After all, he was Lightning McQueen. He could handle anything! Couldn't he?


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 15

"Hey, boss?" Red said as he drove along.

"Yes, Red?" Leyland replied, driving a bit closer to the truck.

"Can we pull over for a rest, please? I know we're only two hours from Sydney, but this is hard work!"

"I don't follow you."

"Well, sir, maybe one race car is nothing; maybe two are nothing, especially when they're sleeping; but FOUR hyper-active racers who are high on energy drinks ARE something! Those guys are shaking these trailers around so much, it's getting harder for me to stay straight on the road."

"What are they doing?"

Red turned on his intercom so Leyland could hear it. Sure enough, Jamie, Paul, Craig and Lightning were having a ball inside the enormous transporter. Leyland could hear loud music playing, and the racers all screaming and shouting.

"If Leyland sees that, you guys are going to get into serious trouble!" Lightning said loudly above the music.

'No! Don't pull that in here!" Craig shouted.

Hearing more screams, Leyland ordered Red to pull off at the next exit. Slowing down, Leyland drove alongside the trailers. He couldn't hear or see what was going on inside, but based on past experiences, he had his suspicions.

A few minutes later, Red pulled into a truck stop just outside of the township of Newcastle. Leyland and the rest of the team drove around to the back of the transporter, just as Red lowered the ramp.

"All right! Everyone out!" Leyland ordered.

One by one, the four race cars exited the transporter. Paul was covered with streamers and glitter. Leyland coughed to stop himself from laughing. He looked absolutely comical!

"Okay, what's going on, guys?"

"It was Jamie's fault," Craig said. "He's the one who brought the poppers."

"Oh yeah, that's right, blame me! You brought the popcorn!"

"I found the disco ball," Lightning admitted.

"And I chose the music," Paul added.

Leyland entered the transporter. He emerged a moment later, carrying a toffee apple and a bag of lollies.

"Who is responsible for bringing these?"

Seeing Dutto scowling, none of the racers moved. They all knew what would happen to them if they admitted to bringing lollies on a road trip; especially a road trip before a major race.

'Very well, then. Once we get to Sydney, you're all going to clean the transporter out thoroughly! And whoever stuck the gum to the TV screen had better clean it off themselves. I'm not paying for luxury items like that if that is how you're going to treat it."

Jamie, Craig and Lightning all looked at Paul, who tried to hide under his canopy of streamers.

"May I add my own punishment, Leyland?" Dutto asked.

"Certainly, you may!"

"Since you all seem to be so keen on hitting the sugar, you're ALL going to get protein drips as soon as we arrive at the racetrack."

"But I didn't have any of the lollies!" Lightning protested.

"Regardless, the treatment will do you good. Now, let's get out of here before someone sees us. Nobody will take this team seriously if we all go around looking like Paul!"

Paul quickly shook the streamers off himself. The glitter was going to be much harder to remove.

"Get back inside the transporter now! All of you!" Leyland ordered crossly.

The four racers reluctantly obeyed. Once they were safely inside, Red raised the ramp. Then, the convoy set off again.

The four racers spent the rest of the trip to Sydney in relative silence. Upon entering the city of Sydney, Lightning was amazed. He stared out of the windows, looking keenly for the two landmarks that made Sydney famous.

"Where's the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House?" he finally asked.

"We'll be crossing the bridge soon," Jamie told him. "The Opera House will be on the right-hand side."

Soon, the convoy drove onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Jamie, Craig and Paul couldn't help chuckling when they saw Lightning staring out of the window, completely enthralled.

"Americans!" Paul whispered under his breath.

Soon, the convoy arrived at a hotel. They were going to stay there overnight, before heading out to Bathurst the very next day. After the team had checked into the hotel and the racers had given the transporter a thorough clean out, Lightning headed out to the airport. Sally's flight would be arriving soon, and he didn't want to miss meeting her.

About an hour later, Sally drove into the arrivals lounge. She looked tired, but very happy to see Lightning. They kissed passionately for several minutes.

"I really missed you," Lightning said when they finally stopped kissing.

"Me too. I'm really sorry I couldn't come back with you."

"It's okay. I understand. I was just feeling really upset after that race."

"So, Tex stabbed you in the trunk, did he?"

"In a manner of speaking. I don't trust him anymore, that's for sure."

They drove towards the exit, side by side.

"You heard from Mater since you arrived?" Sally asked.

"Yes. He'll meet us at the racetrack tomorrow. It sounds like he's been having quite an exciting road trip."

"How about you? How's the race preparation going?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

Sally was surprised. "Really? That's a first!"

"I just don't understand why everyone thinks this Bathurst race is so hard. I mean, what is it about this race that makes it so hard?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. I take it that Dutto's been training you rather hard?"

"Very hard, in fact. He's got us on a very strict diet too. I just hope it'll all be worth it."

"I'm sure it will be. You look…different…"

"Must be the rear view mirrors," Lightning chuckled.

"Yeah. They really suit you."

"You think?"

Sally nodded. "And you've got different stickers, Stickers."

Lightning laughed heartily. Sally always knew how to make him feel better.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 16

Early the next morning, the Redbulldozer racing team was on the road again, heading west of Sydney towards Bathurst. Lightning was feeling anxious-excited. He couldn't wait to finally get a look at the legendary racetrack that everyone was talking about.

After three long hours, Craig saw something out of the window that made him smile. "There it is! Welcome to Mount Panorama, Lightning!"

Lightning followed Craig's gaze. His eyes widened when he saw the steep mountain come into view. Written in chalk on the side of the mountain were the words, 'MOUNT PANORAMA'.

"Well…Where's the racetrack?" Lightning asked.

"You're looking at it," Jamie replied with a grin.

"You don't actually mean that the racetrack is _on the mountain_?" Lightning gasped.

"That's what we've been trying to tell you," Craig said. "We race up the mountain, across the top of it, and back down the other side. The steepest grade is one in six metres. One thousand kilometres, and a hundred and sixty-one laps. This track is NOT for the faint-hearted. Even the slightest hesitation can have fatal consequences."

"Sixteen racers have died here during races," Jamie added. "One racer went up in flames last year after he ruptured his fuel tank crashing into the wall at turn two. It's a miracle he survived, but he'll never race again. He had to undergo a full body transplant and fuel cell replacement, and he's still recovering."

"You've got to give this track your utmost respect, Lightning," Paul said seriously. "If you don't, it'll kill you."

"Brockie used to race on it when it was dirt, didn't he, Craig?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah. He saw so many racers run into trees and almost kill themselves. I'm not sure it the walls are much better."

"At least they help actually keep you on the track!" Jamie chuckled. "You ended up in the dust a lot during your rookie year, didn't you, Craig?"

"Hey, be fair! Paul did too."

Lightning couldn't help chuckling. Clearly, these guys really enjoyed teasing each other. Taking another look at Mount Panorama made his tank churn. They were a lot closer to it now, and, although Lightning would never admit it, the thought of actually racing on it was intimidating. He'd never been scared of any racetracks before in his life, but this one was something else entirely.

Red parked in the designated area for trucks, and the four racers got out. Lightning looked around in awe. In the distance, at the top of Mount Panorama, he could see a huge crowd of several thousand caravans and cars gathered up there. Some were pitching tents, while others were clearly fighting for the best viewing spots.

Pit row was also full of activity. It took some time for Lightning, Craig, Paul and Jamie to battle their way through the crowd, but they finally reached the Triple Eight team pit shed at the far end of pit row. Sally and Mater were parked outside the shed.

"Hey guys," Lightning said, greeting Sally with a kiss, and Mater with a tyre thump.

"This place is crazy!" Sally exclaimed. "We were lucky to even get pit passes!"

"This is the Bathurst one thousand," Craig told her seriously. "We can't afford to have any distractions down in pit row. Usually, it's only our wives who can watch the race from the pits, but Leyland usually prefers our friends and families to watch from the private box upstairs."

"I can understand that," Sally said.

At that moment, they all heard a child scream, "Daddy!"

Turning, they saw two young Holden Commodores driving towards them. Craig embraced them both tightly in his tyres.

"Hey kids!" he grinned. His daughter kissed him on the cheek, while his son tried to read one of his stickers.

Mrs Louds drove over to them. "Sorry, Craig. They got away from me the moment they saw you."

"It's okay. I'll talk to you later, dear."

After a quick kiss, Mrs Louds steered the kids away. Then Craig, Lightning, Jamie and Paul entered the pit shed.

"How do you do it, Craig?" Lightning asked him.

"Do what?"

"Balance racing with a family?"

"It isn't easy, I'll say that. I just spend as much time as I can with them. I always take them on a big holiday during the off-season, and they come to as many races as they can. It can work, but you and your partner have to be prepared to make sacrifices for each other."

Lightning nodded thoughtfully. He'd always believed that having a family meant retiring from racing altogether, which is why he'd held back from proposing to Sally. Now, he wondered if he could balance it was well as Craig did. Just then, Leyland sounded his horn to get the team's attention.

"Okay, is everyone here? Good. Let's go and do our track drive now. Can those of us who are doing the track drive please meet at the pit row exit?"

Lightning followed Craig, Jamie and Paul to the pit row exit. They were met there by Leyland, Dutto, JJ and a few other pit crew members. Leyland led them over to the very first corner – a sharp, ninety-degree left-hander.

"I'll let Dutto take over this track drive," Leyland said.

"Okay, guys. Corner one, also known as Hell corner. Can anyone remember why it's called Hell corner?"

"It's named after the tree stump that used to be here, where the wall is now," Craig answered. "Legend has it that any racer who hit the stump would die as a result of a silly accident and be condemned to hell."

Dutto extended his tyre towards Craig. "My son, the driving Bathurst encyclopaedia!" he teased, making everyone within hearing distance laugh. "Seriously, though, how would you go about taking this corner?"

"If you're starting the race, the inside line is the safest, because you're less likely to get knocked around as everyone races through here at the start of the race," Jamie said. "For the rest of the race, the outside is the best line to take, but you do need to try and stay out of the dust."

"Very good, Jamie. All right, let's move on up to turn two."

It was a very steep climb up to the second corner. Craig told Lightning that that particular straight was called Mountain Straight.

"We can get up to two hundred and fifty kilometres an hour coming up through here," Craig said. "Just be careful as you go over the crest. In the old days, racers often became airborne going over it."

Lightning's eyes widened in amazement. Reaching the top of the crest, he turned and looked down at where they'd just come from. They were already very high up, and they were only halfway up the mountain.

"Okay, here we are, turn two!" Dutto said as they reached the corner. It was another sharp corner; greater than ninety degrees, and it turned to the right. "Craig? What can you tell us about this corner?"

"It's called Griffins Bend, after the Mayor of Bathurst who planned this track. The trick here is to keep to the inside line. If you end up on the outside, you'll be in the marbles."

"Hey, take a look at this, Dutto," one of the pit crew members said. He was scuffing the track on the inside racing line. Several large chunks of tarmac broke off.

Dutto frowned with concern. "We'd better report that to race control when we get back to the pits."

The next significant area was a series of left-hand curves called the Cutting. The track was still climbing steeply here. Next, was Reid Park, a smooth right-hand curve, but the steep climb continued. The track suddenly dropped at Sulman Park, before rising into the steepest climb on the whole track.

Leyland and some of the pit crew members were panting heavily by now as they reached the summit of Mount Panorama. Lightning took a moment to take in the view, because he knew he'd probably never get another chance. The crowd of spectators lined the wall, shouting to their heroes, Craig and Jamie, but Dutto wouldn't let them stop to sign autographs.

They drove on until they reached Brock's Skyline. Lightning saw Craig go over to the wall. For a moment, he just stared out at the view. Behind him, Lightning saw the rest of the team standing silently with their hoods bowed. The crowd had also fallen silent, and they also appeared to be having a minute's silence.

Craig finally turned around to face the crowd. Lightning could clearly see that he'd shed a few tears.

"Thanks, guys!" Craig said to the crowd.

They immediately gave him a standing ovation.

"We love you, Craig!" someone called out.

"What was that all about?" Lightning asked Jamie.

"One month before the 2006 Bathurst, Craig's mentor and best friend, Peter Brock, was killed in a rally racing accident. Craig was devastated at the sudden loss of the racer who'd been like a father to him. Skyline was named after Brockie, as was the Bathurst trophy. It was only fitting for Craig to win the 2006 Bathurst race, and he did, even though Leyland wanted to pull him out of it. Every year since then, Craig has held a minute silence up here during the track drive. And when he finally retires, I intend to continue the tradition."

Tears pricked Lightning's eyes. He was probably one of only a handful of racers who could fully understand what Craig went through every year. Craig's friendship with Peter Brock reminded Lightning of his own friendship with Doc. He hadn't realised just how much he and Craig had in common with each other.

Shortly after Skyline was a series of downhill corners, all in quick succession, known as the Esses. Lightning felt sick the moment he saw it. The track literally dropped down so suddenly, that he believed it would be simply impossible _not _to become airborne here.

"How…?" Lightning asked, his voice almost squeaking.

Jamie, Craig and Paul chuckled.

"There's only one way to tackle the Esses," Paul answered. "Aggressively."

"He's right," Craig agreed. "From this point onwards, you must race aggressively. There's no second chances from here until you reach the start/finish line. You have to commit yourself entirely, or you'll crash. It's as simple as that."

The next big corner was known as Forrest's Elbow. It was a smooth, slow left-hand corner that dropped down the mountainside. Dutto smirked at Craig.

"Why don't you remind us of what happened to you here in 2001?" he asked.

Craig winced. "I lost control after becoming airborne through the Esses, and I drove straight into the tyre wall. But there have been far worse accidents here. It may look smooth and inviting, but you don't want to go too wide here. Nor do you want to be too close to the inside. Racers have broken their axles and suspension going down the inside drop there."

They moved onto Conrod Straight. It was a straight, downhill section of track, almost two kilometres long.

"This is the fastest section of the track," Craig said. "We can easily get up to three hundred kilometres an hour coming down here. I'm sure we'd be able to go even faster than that, were it not for our speed limiters," he added, winking at Lightning. "But, then again, we probably wouldn't want to. At least five racers have died on this stretch of track alone, usually in high-speed rollovers. There was a sixth fatality here, but that was as a result of an engine attack."

Lightning gulped. For the first time in his life, he was glad he had a speed limiter installed! And as for having an engine attack, well… He didn't know what to make of that.

The next section was known as the Chase. It was a large chicane that broke up Conrod straight.

"The Chase was installed in 1987, after one of the fatal accidents along here," Craig said, continuing with his commentary. "Its purpose is to deliberately slow us racers down before we reached Murray's corner or the pit row entrance. A lot of cars end up in the sand here, and many more roll over. There has been at least one fatality here."

Paul held up a tyre. "Uh, Craig? Can you stop talking about the fatalities, please? Your young co-racer's looking rather pale."

Everyone turned to look at Lightning, who indeed looked ready to pass out. Craig shrugged.

"He needs to know what he's getting himself into," Craig said firmly. "It's not my fault if this is way out of his comfort zone. Just remember, Lightning, only the very best racers in the world manage to finish Bathurst in one piece. They should've held one of the World Grand Prix races here. That would've really proved just who the best racer in the world was!"

Lightning groaned. "Just, shut up about the World Grand Prix, will ya? I nearly DIED during it, so stop talking about it, okay?"

"Yes, Craig, you're going too far," Leyland said, admonishing him.

They moved onto the final corner, known as Murray's corner. It was another sharp, ninety degree left-hand corner, similar to Hell corner.

"This corner was named after Bill Murray, a Hudson, who crashed here in 1946," Craig said.

That got Lightning's attention! "Did you say he was a Hudson?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't think this track was that old!"

That made everyone laugh.

"Lightning, the V8 Supercars series may only be about ten years old, but cars have been racing here at Bathurst since 1938; long before the the Piston Cup series even came into existence! Australia has a very rich racing history, and you won't find a more loyal crowd of fans anywhere else in the world. Our fans choose a team, and they stick to it, no matter what. To most Australians, there is nothing worse than team disloyalty."

Lightning was astonished. He couldn't believe how much racing history he'd never learned! He quickly determined to read up about it once he got back to the hotel.

"Okay, guys!" Dutto called. "Let's head back to the pit. It's time for you racers to have your protein drips."

The four of them groaned in unison. They'd been hoping that Dutto would've forgotten all about it. With much reluctance, they followed the rest of the team back to the pit.

As they were passing the Ford Performance Racing pit, a racer suddenly darted out in front of them.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, Frosty!" Jamie shouted.

"Butt out of this, Whinge-cup!" Frosty retorted hotly.

Jamie reeled back, stunned. Lightning turned to face Frosty.

"There's no need for that, Frosty!" he snapped.

"You butt out of this too, Lightning! We're not at the World Grand Prix now!"

"What's wrong, Frosty?" Paul asked.

"None of your business, that's what! Now, get out of my way!" And Frosty pushed past them.

"Whoa!" Lightning whispered.

"You said it!" Craig agreed.

"What's got into him?" Jamie wondered.

"He's probably had another argument with his engineer," Paul suggested. "I heard that they had a falling out a few weeks ago. Just leave him alone."

They continued on towards their pit. Dutto and Dr Andrews were already setting up the protein drips.

"Right, we'll do Lightning and Paul first, since Craig and Jamie have an autograph session in fifteen minutes," Dutto decided. "Come over here, you two."

Seeing that they weren't going to get out of it, Lightning and Paul parked themselves right where Dutto wanted them inside the shed. Dr Andrews came over to Lightning first.

"Pop your bonnet," he ordered.

"Do I have to?" Lightning whimpered.

"Yes, you do," Dutto told him firmly. "You'll be thanking me for this after the race."

Closing his eyes, Lightning did as he was told. Dr Andrews looked at Lightning's oil lines for a moment, before choosing one that had obviously had needles go into it in the past. Lightning whimpered again as he pushed a needle into the oil line. The other end of the needle was connected to a long, thin tube; the other end of which was attached to a bag filled with protein oil that was hung up high on a pole beside Lightning.

Lightning groaned again as Dr Andrews started the drip. He could feel the protein oil being forced into him.

"Just try to relax," Dr Andrews soothed. "And try not to faint. You can have a nap though, if you like."

Keeping his eyes closed, Lightning nodded. Dr Andrews then moved onto Paul.

About an hour later, Dr Andrews gently woke Lightning up. Lightning was surprised to find that the drip had been removed.

"Is it over?" he asked.

"Yes," Dr Andrews smiled. "And you've had a very peaceful nap. You can go back to the hotel now, and have another nap if you like."

'Thanks."

Lightning couldn't say for sure if the protein oil drip had really done anything for him as he headed back to his hotel room. He'd just have to wait and see how well he performed on race day, which was still four days away. He'd get two practice sessions the following day, and he had to join the others for interviews. On Friday, he'd get two more practice sessions, and then Craig and Jamie would go through qualifying. Saturday was the top ten shootout, and then, finally, Sunday was race day.

Normally, Lightning would be feeling rather excited by now about racing, but after seeing the Bathurst track for himself, he felt nothing but trepidation. Sighing, he turned on his computer, and he brought up a map of the Bathurst racetrack. Craig's and Jamie's warnings ran through his mind as he read through the racetrack's history and statistics.

_'__This track is NOT for the faint-hearted. Even the slightest hesitation can have fatal consequences...'_

_'__Sixteen racers have died here during races…'_

_'__You've got to give this track your utmost respect, Lightning. If you don't, it'll kill you…it'll kill you…it'll kill you…'_

**For those who are interested, I've found a hilarious You Tube clip of Darrell Waltrip (Cartrip in the Cars films) being taken for a hot lap around Bathurst. It's called 'An American's View of the Bathurst 1000'. Please, let me know if you find it! His reaction is priceless! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 17

Early the following morning, Lightning found himself inside the Redbulldozer Racing pit shed, being prepared for his very first practice run around the Bathurst racetrack. It was only a quarter to eight, and Lightning had already undergone physiotherapy, and had his breakfast.

Lightning was unusually quiet that morning. In fact, he was just plain scared. While he hoped he'd get around the racetrack in one piece, he could tell that nobody expected him to. Leyland couldn't help noticing Lightning's sedate mood, so he drove over to him.

"I think you've got something to tell me, Speedster."

Lightning looked confused. "No, I don't."

"You're scared to race here, aren't you?"

"No! Why would I…?" Seeing Leyland's disbelieving expression, Lightning realised that he could see straight through him. He looked down at the ground. "Yes. I am scared," he admitted. "I've never felt like this before a race."

Leyland let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid there's not much I can do or say to help you with that. You just need to treat this track the same as you would any other."

"But it isn't the same as any other!" Lightning protested.

"Look, follow Craig out. He'll show you exactly where to go so you'll be safe. Today's practice sessions are all about precision, so don't worry about your speed. Tomorrow, you'll be able to combine precision with speed. Good luck. I know you can do this."

At eight o'clock precisely, Lightning followed Craig out onto the racetrack.

"Just watch where I go, and follow me exactly," Craig instructed over the three-way radio. "Just don't follow too close to start with."

"I'll try not to," Lightning replied.

To his astonishment, Craig promptly accelerated up to two hundred kilometres an hour! Lightning had to quickly accelerate just to keep up with him. It only took them a matter of seconds to get to the crest at the top of Mountain Straight. Seeing Craig brake, Lightning applied his. He breathed a sigh of relief as they made it safely around Griffins Bend. Behind them, other racers were strung out, also practicing.

The next few corners weren't too bad for Lightning. He found the steep climb very tiring on his axles, despite the physio he'd had. He just wasn't used to racing at such a steep angle. Racing across Skyline wasn't too bad, but then they reached the Esses. Lightning tried to copy Craig's every move, but somehow he managed to become airborne just before Forrest's Elbow. He landed heavily, almost winding himself, and sending up a shower of sparks.

"If you do that again, Lightning, the officials will give you a weight handicap to keep you grounded," JJ said over the radio. "You're not allowed to become airborne these days."

Lightning didn't bother to reply. He was too busy trying to concentrate as he followed Craig down Conrod Straight. He was shocked when a couple of other racers overtook them!

"Craig?" Lightning called over the radio.

"Let them overtake," Craig replied. "They're on a hot lap."

"How do you know?"

"Their headlights are on. That's an unofficial code which means a racer is doing qualifying round pace. Just don't get in their way, whatever you do."

Lightning stayed right behind Craig, allowing the faster racers to pass. As they entered their second lap, Craig took them up a pace. Lightning was feeling a bit more confident now, so he drove a bit closer to Craig this time.

Suddenly, Lightning saw a flash of yellow off to his right. Then JJ was on the radio.

"Yellow flag, guys. Shane VanGearsbergen has hit the wall at Skyline. Seems to be a technical error."

"Affirmative," Craig replied.

"Copy that," Lightning added. It was strange having three-way radio, but Lightning had to admit it was handy being about to communicate with both Craig and JJ at the same time.

Craig and Lightning slowed right down as they reached Skyline. Sure enough, Shane was parked off to the right-hand side, panting heavily. His front right fender was badly crumpled.

"Whoops! Pancaked!" Craig chuckled as they drove past.

"You shouldn't laugh,' Lightning admonished.

"Oh, seriously, mate! Lighten up! You Americans will never understand Aussie sense of humour."

Lightning pouted. It seemed to be unanimous amongst Australians to not just tease each other, but Americans also.

The next few laps went well for Lightning. By the end of the first practice session, he was feeling pretty good, despite being a little puffed.

"Do you think you'll be able to go it alone in the next practice session?" JJ asked him.

"I think so. Craig's a good teacher."

"The truth is, this racetrack looks much harder than it really is."

"Now you tell me!"

That made everyone chuckle. Dutto passed over a protein drink to Lightning. Knowing that Dutto wouldn't let him go anywhere without having it, Lightning settled down to sip it. He hated the taste of it, but it was far better than having another drip!

About an hour later, it was time for the second practice session. This time, Jamie went first, followed by Paul, then Lightning and Craig, and then the rest of the racers. Feeling competitive, Lightning tried to make a passing move on Paul at turn two, Griffins Bend. He took the outside racing line, taking great care not to tail-slide. To his great surprise, he succeeded!

"Great work, Speedster," JJ praised. "I want to see that same kind of clean overtaking on Sunday."

"I'm worried he's starting to get too confident," Leyland muttered to JJ.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll try and keep him from doing anything stupid."

But just as JJ said that, Lightning overcorrected himself in the Cutting, and he scrapped the outside wall.

"Ouch!" Lightning complained loudly as he corrected himself.

"You were saying," Leyland muttered to JJ.

Frowning, JJ turned back towards the screens. "Don't worry about that, Lightning. Scrapes like that happen all the time around here."

"It still hurt! Now I've got bruises on top of bruises!"

Leyland chuckled quietly. "Americans are so soft! Craig wouldn't have even blinked at that!"

"I think Craig's had so many accidents, he's become desensitised to pain," JJ said.

Soon, the second practice session ended. All the racers returned to their respective pit sheds.

"How do you think you went, Lightning," JJ asked as he inspected Lightning's injured side.

"I was definitely more confident."

"Good. Tomorrow, we need to add confidence with speed. I want you to go at qualifying pace."

"That fast?" Lightning said doubtfully. "I'm not sure if I can."

"Listen, Lightning. You need to push yourself. You're capable of much more than you realise. But raw talent simply isn't enough around here. You need to start taking risks. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Lightning nodded thoughtfully. "I think so."

"Good. Dutto's got your lunch ready. You can have it while we repair your side. And then, you can have the rest of the day off. But just don't do anything stupid."

After lunch, Lightning went in search of Sally and Mater. They weren't too hard to find. Mater was trying to get the autographs of every single racer. Lightning and Sally decided to leave him to it, so they could spend some quiet time alone together.

It was dark by the time Lightning and Sally returned to the racetrack. Sally decided to go and try to find Mater, and so Lightning went to find Dutto to get his dinner. He found Craig and Jamie already enjoying theirs inside the pit shed.

"Are you coming to the concert tonight, Speedster?" Jamie asked.

"What concert?"

"The one up at the summit. It's traditional for all the racers to attend it. It's the only chance we have to chill out around here."

"In that case, yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Great! It starts in half an hour."

…

By seven-thirty, Lightning, Craig, Paul, Jamie, Sally, Mater and the entire Triple Eight team had gathered along with all the other racing teams and the enormous crowd up at the summit. Since the concert was for the racing teams, Lightning quickly found himself pushed to the front of the enormous crowd. Craig, Jamie, Paul, Sally and Mater joined him in front of the stage. Mater was wearing his new Akubra stock hat, making him blend in with the crowd.

"Do I look like a Jackaroo, Lightnin'?" he asked.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess you do." Lightning was surprised by just how much Mater had embraced the Australian culture.

A few minutes later, a male voice spoke over the loudspeakers. "Ladies and gentlecars! Please, put your tyres together for Australia's greatest Country music artist, Lee Carnaghan!"

The crowd cheered and whistled as a band of forklifts came onto the stage. Lee Carnaghan was carrying a black acoustic guitar and he was wearing a black Akubra.

"G'day everyone, and welcome to the Bathurst one-thousand!"

The crowd cheered and screamed again.

"Are you all having a good time?"

"Yes!" the crowd shouted back enthusiastically.

"All right! Let's kick off tonight with the Bathurst version of my hit song, 'The Boys from the Bush'. Ladies and gentlecars! 'The Boys from Bathurst'!"

The crowd cheered again as the band began playing and Lee began singing…

"We been running strong… From the east to the west. We've been banging fenders... To give you all the best. Been setting records in every state. Well there ain't no car… Like a big V8. To the boys from the bush! We're back in town! Well the car's in the back and the shutters' down. We're all heading for the Bathurst hill… To see Brockie and the boys serving up a thrill! Been feeling the heat… You can hear 'em cuss. Been kissing fences… Been choking on dust. We curse the rain! We curse the sand. We're running hot… Turn it on for the fans. To the boys from the bush! We're back in town. Well the green flag drops, and the foot goes down. We're all members of the horsepower sect! And the king of the mountain is the guy ya gotta get! We work our cars… From go to whoa! It's the greatest race! It's the ultimate show. To the boys from the bush! We're back in town. Well the car's in the back and the shutters' down. We're all here we're the Bathurst Boys. And you can't hear Richo above the noise! Yeah! To the boys from the bush! We're back in town. When the big guns roar and shake in the ground. Steering straight and stay off the wall! You get the checked flag and you're walking tall! You get the checked flag and you're walking tall!"

Once again, the crowd cheered enthusiastically as the song came to an end. Lightning had really started to relax by now, and he was laughing and cheering along with everyone else.

"All right," Lee said as the cheering died down. "Now I know there are some Americans here in the crowd tonight, so my next song's for you guys."

Lightning could see Lee looking directly at him, not realising that, because of the lights, Lee could barely see the crowd. The band struck up a loud tune, hitting notes on the drums and bass guitars, and Lee began to sing again.

"Well people say it's a one horse town! There's nothing much to do when the sun goes down! At the set of daylight at the Royal Hotel… You get a beer, get a feed, get a fight as well! You ever need to find me, write me a letter… Drop it in the mailbox and tell them to deliver it to Texas QLD 4385! And it's home sweet home, out on the border line… Well this is not the USA… We do things our own way! Out at Texas QLD 4385! Well Amy lives out on the Nebo road… She took a trip to Warwick to the rodeo… Well the boys up there could see she was hot… Buzzing like bees round the honey pot… They tried to crack her code; they tried to get her number… She took out a pen and she scratched down something about Texas QLD 4385! And it's home sweet home, out on the border line… Well this is not the USA… We do things our own way! Out at Texas QLD 4385! Ho! …And all the fella's say hey-ya hey-ya…"

"Hey-ya, hey-ya!" all the male cars echoed.  
"And all the girls say hey-ya hey-ya…"

"Hey-ya, hey-ya!" the female cars shouted.  
"Everybody says hey-ya hey-ya…"

"Hey-ya, hey-ya!" the whole crowd echoed.  
"And said hey…!"

"Hey!"

"Ho!"

"Ho!"

"Hey!"

"Ho!"

"Hey!"

"Ho!"

"Texas QLD 4385… And it's home sweet home, out on the border line…! I'm not talking about the USA, It's just a little country town off the main highway! And it's Texas QLD 4385…!"

"Texas!" the crowd echoed.  
"Texas QLD 4385!"

"What was that song all about?" Lightning asked Craig as the music faded out.

"Texas is the name of a small country town in southern Queensland," Craig explained. "And, yes, it was named after the US state. 4385 is the post code, or what you'd call the zip code."

"Oh." Lightning glanced over at Mater, wondering if he'd known that. One thing was certain. Mater was having the time of his life!

**Music lyrics references:**

Kernaghan, L (1993), CD, 'Boys from Bathurst' on _Three Chain Road_, Mirabai Pty Ltd, Australia

Kernaghan, L (2009), CD, 'Texas QLD 4385' on _Planet Country_, Mirabai Pty Ltd, Australia


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 18

Sunday. Race day. With a low groan, Lightning slowly woke up. It was still dark outside. A glance at the clock on the table beside him read 5:34am. Believing that nobody else would be up yet, Lighting closed his eyes and he reflected over the events of the past two days since the Lee Carneghan concert.

His final two practice sessions had gone quite well, but he was still two seconds off the pace. So was Craig. As usual though, Jamie had performed the best. Lightning had been a bit confused by Craig's slow pace, until he'd overheard JJ tell him over the radio that he wanted Craig to focus on precision instead of speed. Obviously, they didn't realise that Craig could now go just as fast as Jamie. Lightning had kept quiet. This racetrack wasn't an ideal one for trying to break records.

On Friday afternoon, Craig and Jamie had undergone qualifying, along with all the other principle racers. Unfortunately, it didn't go too well for the team. Jamie had been pushed off the track at the Chase, ending up in the sand trap. Leyland had lodged a protest, of course, but it hadn't helped. Jamie and Paul would start from twenty-fourth place on the twenty-six car grid.

Craig had had a little bit more luck. He'd managed to finish qualifying in tenth place, qualifying him for Saturday's top ten shootout, where he'd finished sixth on the grid. Lightning was probably the only one who was actually pleased about that. After everything he'd seen and learned about the Bathurst racetrack, sixth place on the grid was very good in his opinion!

Lightning gave up trying to get back to sleep. He yawned and stretched. Then he drove over to the window of his hotel room. The hotel was right beside the racetrack, giving him a great view of everything. Nothing stirred in the early morning haze. Lightning hadn't expected it to. From the amount of noise he'd heard during the night, he seriously doubted if anyone had got much sleep. He certainly hadn't.

Someone knocked softly on the door. Lightning cautiously answered it. It was Craig.

"Sorry if I disturbed you, Lighting, but I couldn't sleep last night. May I come in?"

"I didn't get that much either," Lightning sighed as he moved out of the way. He closed the door. "Are you excited or nervous about the race?"

"I should be asking you that,' Craig chuckled. "I guess the answer is both. I love Bathurst so much! I've got many memories of this place; both good and bad. To win here…it…it's the greatest achievement that a racer can hope to receive. This is like all the greatest races in the world all rolled into one. You just can't describe it in words. You just have to be here and experience it first-hand to understand."

"I think I'm getting it," Lightning smiled. "There is a special feeling I get driving around that track."

"To drive onto the starting grid here isn't just driving into history – you become a legend; especially if you win here more than once," Craig agreed.

"How many times have you won?"

"Five. And I've come second five times too. I've also failed to finish three times. This race is just so unpredictable. It's possible to start from last place on the grid and still win."

Someone else knocked on the door. It was Dutto. He was carrying Lightning's breakfast.

"I thought I heard you two talking. I'll bring you your breakfast in a minute, Craig. And I'm going to stay with you two until you've finished your breakfast."

He set the breakfast down on a table.

"Thanks," Lightning said. "But you really don't need to stay. We will eat it all. I promise."

"I'd rather not take that risk," Dutto replied. "I've been tricked one time too many," he added, winking at Craig. Then he left to fetch Craig's breakfast.

When Dutto returned a few minutes later with Craig's breakfast, Lightning asked him why they had to have so much protein oil.

"Bathurst is an endurance-sprint race," Dutto explained. "I presume you've heard of twelve and twenty-four hour races?"

Lightning nodded.

"Well, they're endurance races. Speed doesn't really play a factor in them. I know in the Piston Cup you have your two-hundred mile sprint races right?"

Again Lightning nodded.

"Well, when you combine the factors of a twelve hour race with a sprint race, you get the Bathurst 1000. You and your co-racer must sprint, flat out, for six and a half hours. That is what makes Bathurst so unique. Only the best endurance sprinters will cross the finish line. All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration to cause you to crash. That's why I feed all our team's racers up with protein oil before the race. Not only will it help you sustain your endurance, but it should also help you concentrate."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Lightning sighed.

"Warm-up starts at ten to eight," Dutto said a few minutes later once Lightning and Craig had finished their breakfasts. He carried the empty trays out of the room. "Leyland wants you in the pit shed by six-thirty."

"Guess we might as well head down there now," Craig suggested.

"Why not?" Lightning agreed.

As usual, pit row was a hive of activity. Lightning was surprised to find that Jamie and Paul had already beaten them there.

"Where have you two sleepy-heads been?" Jamie teased.

"Reflecting on life," Craig said seriously.

"All right! Gather around everyone!" Leyland called from the front of the shed. Once everyone was quiet, he continued. "Based on the results from qualifying and the top ten shootout, Dutto, JJ and I have decided that Paul and Lightning will start the race. I know that is an extremely risky move to make, but we feel it is the best decision."

"May I ask why?" Lightning asked.

"Craig used up one set of tyres in the top ten shootout, giving him one set less for the race, so we'll put you out for twenty laps, and then we'll send Craig out. That way, if you do sustain any damage, we can hopefully have it fixed before we send you back out again, around lap a hundred and twenty."

"Nice to know you've got confidence in me,' Lightning muttered. Leyland ignored him.

"As I'm sure you're all aware by now, each co-racer must complete at least a third of the race, or fifty-four laps, and not more than half of the race, or eighty laps. But don't worry about how many laps you've done. That's for us to worry about. Right. Time to prepare for the warm-up."

"Oh, goody!" Jamie grinned.

"You find warm-ups fun?" Lightning asked, surprised.

"Not normally, but around here, we call it 'revenge!'"

"I don't understand."

"Look at all those campers out there, sleeping now after they spent more than half the night, keeping us awake. Well, they won't stay asleep for much longer!" And Jamie quietly revved his engine. Lightning grinned mischievously, getting Jamie's subtle message.

At precisely ten to eight, the racers entered the racetrack for their warm up. As Lightning, Craig, Jamie and Paul approached the summit of Mt Panorama, they deliberately revved their engines much louder than they actually had to. On their second warm up lap, they could see a lot of sleepy, disgruntled cars and caravans waking up and coming over to the walls to watch. Lightning and Jamie chuckled before revving their engines again. The deafening roar echoed all around the valley.

The warm up session only lasted twenty minutes, so after it ended, the pit crews had to take measures to keep the racers comfortable. Dutto did everything he could to ensure the four of them had plenty to eat, as they wouldn't be able to eat during the race. Each of them also underwent an intensive physiotherapy session. Further down pit row, other teams were taking similar measures with each of their respective racers. During that time, the support races were run, including the V8 Utes.

Finally, at ten o'clock, the prerace entertainment began with a flyover by a group of four FA-18 Superhornets. Hearing them flying overhead suddenly made Lightning realise just how big this race really was. The crowd was huge and it was still growing! And the atmosphere was invigorating!

"Whoa!" Lightning whispered to himself as he rolled out into pit row to take a look around. Hearing something tapping against glass behind him, he turned around. There, up in the Redbulldozer private box above the pit shed was Sally and Mater. The knocking had been Mater tapping his tow hook rig against the glass. Grinning, Lightning wave a tyre up at them. Mater said something, but of course, Lightning couldn't hear him.

The loudspeakers screeched. Then, a male voice rang out over the main straight. "Ladies and gentlecars! Welcome to the 2014 Bathurst one thousand!"

The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

"And here to sing the official V8 Supercars anthem is a guy who needs no introduction. Here he is everyone! With 'It's a Beautiful Noise', ladies and gentlecars, Lee Carneghan!"

The racers, pit crews and racing officials crowded over at the pit row wall as Lee Carneghan and his band drove onto the temporary stage set up in the middle of the main straight. Silence descended over the area as the band began playing, and Lee began singing…

"It's the roar of the engines, it's the counting down… It's the smell of the rubber, it's the V8 sound… It's the power… It's the passion. It's hitting the corner, holding onto a slide… Giving it hell, getting hung out to dry… Well it's hard core… It's what we're here for… It's a beautiful noise! It's a beautiful noise! The rumble of thunder, rolling downunder… It's man and machine! It's chasing the dream! It's the V8 thrill, the crowd on the hill… It's a beautiful noise! It's a V8 howling dropping through the gears… The pistons screaming, ringing in my ears… It's high octane… Down pit lane… You aren't gonna find out what you got… Toe to toe, out on the black top. It takes a bold run… to crack the big one… It's a beautiful noise! It's a beautiful noise! The rumble of thunder, rolling downunder… It's man and machine! It's chasing the dream! It's the V8 thrill… the crowd on the hill! It's a beautiful noise!"

During the musical interlude, Craig's pre-recorded voice rang out above the music…

"It's a V8 nation. It's king of the mountain. It's the spirit of Brockie, Holden and Falcon. It's pulling G forces on six-hundred horses. It's the V8 story. The guts and the glory!"

As the voiceover ended, Craig began singing again.

"It's a beautiful noise! It's a beautiful noise! The rumble of thunder, rolling downunder… It's man and machine! It's chasing the dream! It's the V8 thrill… the crowd on the hill! It's a beautiful noise! It's a beautiful noise! It's a beautiful noise!"

The whole crowd burst into wild cheering and applause as the anthem ended. Lightning couldn't help but feel incredibly inspired by it. He was still running over the lyrics in his mind, when Lee began singing the Australian National Anthem, 'Advance Australia Fair'. None of the words really made sense to Lightning, but out of respect he stood quietly along with everyone else. Beside him, Craig was mouthing the words almost under his breath.

Once he'd finished singing the National Anthem, Craig said loudly, "Good luck everyone!" Needless to say, he was cheered loudly as he and the band moved off the stage.

After the racers' introductions, Paul led the starting racers out onto the racetrack for their warm-up lap. Lightning was directly behind him.

"Okay, Lightning, can you hear me?" JJ asked over the radio.

"Loud and clear."

"Good. Listen, they're predicting a top temp of twenty-eight degrees. We've had a lot worse, but let us know if you start feeling dehydrated."

"I will," Lightning promised.

As the racers completed their warm up lap, they were waved into the grid by the racing marshals. Lightning drove over to sixth position. Unfortunately, it was on the outside racing line.

"Ease up, Speedster," JJ instructed over the radio. He was parked over at the pit row wall, watching Lightning's front tyres closely. "A bit more. That's it! Good! Don't you dare move!"

"And don't do your whole 'I am speed' thing, either," Craig added over the radio. Lightning glanced over at him. He was parked side JJ. "You don't have time for that today. Once those lights go out, you've just gotta go!"

Lightning narrowed his gaze, focusing on the red lights on either side of the start/finish line.

_This is it_, he thought excitedly. _I'm about to race in the Bathurst one thousand! _

He revved his engine along with all the other racers. They were almost set.

Up in the private box, Sally and Mater's focus was glued to Lightning as he stood there on the grid along with all the other racers. The marshals were just waving the last few racers into their grid positions. In the background, they could hear the commentary on the TV.

"I'm surprised at team Redbulldozer starting both of their co-racers," Mark Skate was saying.

"Obviously, they think they can use it to their advantage," another commentator said. Sally had already forgotten his name. Her focus was entirely on Lightning.

"Please, be careful out there, Stickers," she whispered.

"Don't worry, Miss Sally," Mater soothed. "Lightnin's der best racer eva! He'll be fine."

"I wish I could believe you," Sally sighed.

Down on the grid, the final racer took his position on the grid. One of the marshals held up a green flag at the back of the field.

"Green flag!" JJ said over the radio.

Lightning gave his engine a final rev. Two seconds later, the lights went out. With a squeal of rubber on tarmac, the racers took off.

Lightning swung himself sharply to the left, trying to avoid taking the dangerous outside racing line at Hell corner. He managed to take the corner on the centre racing line. But just when he thought he'd made it around the corner safely, he heard a loud 'bang!' somewhere behind him. Before he even had a chance to react, another racer slammed hard into his right-hand side. Lightning gasped sharply. It was the third hit he'd received there in as many weeks! Shaking himself, he made a dive for a gap that had opened up on the inside line. He could feel the warm breath of another racer directly behind him, breathing down his rear bumper. Gaining some clear ground, Lightning accelerated up Mountain Straight towards Griffins Bend. He breathed a small sigh of relief. He'd survived the start! Now, he just had to survive the rest of his first stint…

**Music Lyrics reference:**

Kernaghan, L (2013), CD, 'Beautiful Noise (With Craig Lowndes – V8 Supercars Anthem)' on _Beautiful Noise – Dulux Tour Edition_, Mirabai Pty Ltd, Australia


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 19

Eighteen laps into the race, and Lightning was going well in fourth place. JJ was constantly on the radio, reassuring him and telling him not to waste his energy by overtaking.

"Just concentrate on not hitting anything!" JJ said as Lightning entered his nineteenth lap.

"I can't help wanting to overtake," Lightning complained.

"I know, but you need to fight against your instincts. It's early days yet, and we need you to stay in one piece."

As Lightning accelerated up Mountain Straight, in the middle of the leading pack, he heard the screeching sound of a racer's rear brakes locking up. Instead of taking the corner, the racer in second position continued on straight ahead, crashing head on into the tyre wall. At the same time, Lightning saw a large chunk of the road surface fly up and over the wall.

"JJ, a racer's just gone off up here," Lightning said over the radio.

"The racing officials have just declared a safety car," JJ replied. Lightning could hear him talking softly in the background. He appeared to be talking to Leyland and Dutto. A moment later, JJ spoke directly to Lightning. "Change of plan. Come in on this lap, while the safety car's out."

"Okay."

A moment later, Lightning turned into the pits. He wasn't too surprised that most of the other racers did the same. Most were only going in for a 'splash and dash'. The Redbulldozer pit crew was all ready for Lightning, and Craig was in position, ready and eager.

One of the pit crew members held the stopping target out for Lightning as he drove into the pit. Craig immediately took off, putting himself in the lead behind the safety car.

"Great work, Speedster!" Craig said over the radio as he disappeared around the corner.

"I agree," JJ said, glancing up from the computers for a moment.

Lightning smiled. He was glad everyone was so pleased with his efforts. Following the pit crews' signals, Lightning reversed inside the shed.

"So, how was that?" Jamie asked as the pit crew began taking care of Lightning.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Lightning grinned. "Once I'd settled into a rhythm, I actually found it rather fun."

Jamie chuckled. Dutto turned around.

"Jamie? Get into position. We're bringing Paul in now."

"Good luck," Lightning said.

"Thanks. I'm sure I'll need it."

Lightning watched on quietly as Paul arrived at the pit. With a small tyre squeal, Jamie took off. Paul reversed inside the shed. He looked much more puffed than Lightning.

"Well, I hope Jamie capitalises on all the ground I've made up for him," he wheezed. One of the pit crew members began spraying Paul with cold water. "Ahh! Thanks! I needed that! Oh, I'm getting too old for this!"

"Nobody's too old for racing," Lightning said.

"Oh yeah? Say that to my engine! Ow!"

"Looks like you need physio more than Lightning does," Dr Anderson remarked.

"Ooh! Yes, please!" Paul begged.

Dr Anderson and Lightning chuckled.

"Come along then!" Dr Anderson instructed. "You don't mind waiting, do you Lightning?"

"Nah! I'm good."

Once Paul and Dr Anderson had gone, the pit crew turned their attention to Lightning's injured right-hand side.

"Does that still hurt?" one of them asked him.

Lightning shook his hood.

"Okay, we might leave it then. Did you get hit anywhere else?"

"No."

One of the pit crew members slipped Lightning a can of high performance oil. Clamping his lips around the straw, he began to sip the oil slowly. He knew that drinking too fast would give him stitches.

For the next few hours, Lightning watched the race on the screens above the computers. Quite a lot of cars were going off at Griffins Bend, but a few also went off at the Chase. Craig ended up losing a few positions when he went off road at Hell corner, and later again at the Chase, where Jamie took advantage of the situation by overtaking him.

By lap one hundred, five racers had crashed out. Lightning had undergone his physiotherapy session, and now the pit crew were preparing to send him back out. Paul had gone back out on lap ninety-three, during another safety car, and now Jamie was in physio. Paul was now in the lead, while Craig was back in fifth place.

"You'll have a lot of work to do on this stint," Leyland told Lightning. "We're taking a big risk here. You see, if you crash out, that's it for you and Craig. We can't send Craig out again, or he'll be penalised for going over his maximum number of laps. It's all going to be down to you."

"I won't let you down," Lightning promised.

"That's what I like to hear."

On lap a hundred and twenty-five, JJ ordered Craig to come in. Lightning took up his position in front of the pit. It seemed to take forever for Craig to pull in behind Lightning, who revved his engine loudly in his eagerness to hit the track again.

Finally, Lightning heard JJ's voice over the radio, saying, "Okay, Speedster! Go, go, go, go!"

Lightning didn't need to be told twice. Turning out of pit row, he accelerated flat out up Mountain Straight. He now understood what they meant when they said he had to tackle this racetrack aggressively. It didn't mean that you had to be afraid it. It meant respecting to track, and knowing when to push and when to hold back. Timing was everything around here. The slightest hesitation could send you crashing into a wall, or worse, another racer.

For the next few laps, Lightning raced hard, doing everything he could to catch up to the lead pack. He managed to make a couple of clean overtakes at Forrest's Elbow and Murray's corner, but then he found himself stuck in a group of tightly-bunched racers. None of them were prepared to give an inch as they raced side by side up Mountain Straight, approaching Griffins Bend. As usual, Lightning took the inside racing line. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lee Wheelsworth trying to overtake him on the outside racing line. Then it happened.

As Lightning started to brake for the corner, Lee suddenly started oversteering. There was nowhere for Lightning to go. He had the wall on his right, and Lee on his left. The two racers banged together, and then everything happened at once. Losing control, Lightning and Lee skidded out, heading straight for the opposite tyre wall. There was a loud 'bang!', and then everything went black…


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 20

Lightning was only unconscious for a few seconds. When he came around, he found that he was facing the wrong way, and he was slowly rolling forwards, back down the slope. He quickly applied his brakes firmly. Behind him, he could hear a commotion going on. He felt rather groggy, so he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head.

"Lightning? Can you hear me?" JJ called anxiously over the radio.

"Yeah," Lightning croaked. He cleared his throat, then louder, he said, "Yeah, I can hear you, JJ."

"Are you okay?"

"I… I think so."

"Do you think you're able to keep going?"

"Only if my engine still works," Lightning sighed.

"Try it."

Lightning switched on his engine, which had cut out upon impact. It roared into life. Lightning breathed a sigh of relief.

"Keep going, but let me know immediately if you think anything's wrong," JJ instructed.

"Okay."

Lightning ensured nobody was approaching, before he carefully turned around. His eyes widened when he saw Lee Wheelsworth, the racer who'd crashed into him. Lee was barely recognisable. He was smashed up in so many places, and, worse still, he'd rolled over. Paramedics surrounded him, but it was clear that Lee was in a very bad way.

"Lightning? I said keep going!" JJ shouted, making Lightning's head spin.

"Don't shout at me!" Lightning snapped crossly. Then he accelerated, climbing slowly up the mountain.

"Sorry," JJ apologised. "Err… Hang on a minute…"

Lightning heard JJ remove his headphones. Shaking himself, Lightning picked up his pace. He was just going over Skyline, when JJ got back on the radio.

"Lightning, they're stopping the race."

"What?" Lightning exclaimed, unable to believe he'd heard correctly.

"You heard me. Race control has decided to completely suspend the race while they examine the tarmac at Griffins Bend. It's a red flag, I repeat, a red flag."

"What do I need to do?" Lightning asked. He'd never had a race red flagged before.

"Come down to main straight. They're stopping everyone in a line behind the safety car."

"This is ridiculous! How long will the red flag be sustained?"

"We haven't a clue on that, sorry. You'll be last in the line-up."

"Great!" Lightning groaned to himself.

When Lightning reached Murray's corner, he pulled up at the end of the line of racers. Their respective teams were gathered around them, carrying out some minor checks and repairs. JJ and some of the Redbulldozer pit crew hurried over to him.

"They're letting us carry out some minor repairs," JJ explained. "How are you feeling after that crash? Honestly."

"I'm a bit dizzy," Lightning sighed.

"Okay, look straight at me, please."

Lightning reluctantly did so. He knew JJ was looking for signs of concussion.

"Hmm… I think you'll be all right, but I'll check you again just before they resume the race."

"When will that be?" Lightning wondered.

"We don't know. They're re-tarmacking that bad patch up at Griffins Bend right now."

"Oh."

For the next half an hour, the racers waited impatiently. However, Lightning wasn't feeling too well. He was worried that JJ might decide to take him out of the race. Even though it was only twenty-eight degrees, there were no clouds around to stop the sun from blazing down relentlessly on the racers. Lightning had just started to feel thirsty when one of the pit crew members noticed something.

"Hey! Look! Lightning's bleeding!"

Everyone immediately looked underneath Lightning, making him feel rather uncomfortable. Before anyone could say anything else, JJ had unfastened Lightning's hood clips, and he'd thrown up his hood. What he saw made him gasp sharply.

"Oh, my goodness… Lightning! What have you done to yourself?"

"I don't know…" Lightning moaned weakly.

JJ turned to face some nearby officials. "We need the track doctor over here! Now! Have some screens put around too!"

Before long, the screens had been put around Lightning, to stop the crowd seeing what was being done to him. The track doctor arrived just as JJ was trying to figure out exactly where Lightning was bleeding oil from. Lightning's entire engine bay was covered with streaks and splashes of oil. It was far from the usual sparkling clean engine bay Lightning usually sported. It was going to take a lot of effort to clean, but that's not what anyone was concerned about right then.

JJ finally found the leak. It was in the oil line where Lightning had had many injections in the past. The impact from his accident had jolted it loose, and now it was bleeding oil freely.

"That oil line's going to have to be replaced immediately," the track doctor said.

"I'm already onto it," JJ said as he clamped the oil line above the leak to stop the bleeding. Working quickly, he cut out the broken bit of tubing, replacing it with a brand new one. He sealed it securely into place. Luckily for Lightning, the pinch from the clamp had distracted him from the actual cut, so he hadn't felt a thing. The track doctor injected a local anaesthetic into the oil line just above the clamp. They waited a moment for it to work, and then JJ removed the clamp. Lightning winced in pain for a second, but then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Get some fluids into him, and he should be right to continue," the track doctor instructed.

"Can you test him for concussion while you're here?" JJ asked.

The track doctor studied Lightning's eyes for a moment. Then he nodded to JJ. "He'll be fine to continue."

The screens were removed, and Lightning was once again exposed to the blazing sun. He licked his lips.

"Can I have a drink, please?"

JJ slipped him a can of high performance oil. Lightning immediately began gulping it down.

"Easy there, Speedster! You'll give yourself a stich later, gulping like that."

Lightning sighed and he pushed the empty can away. He still felt sick.

JJ was talking on the radio. "Yep. Yeah, he's been cleared to continue by the track doctor. Okay. I'll tell him." He glanced at Lightning. "The officials have decided to resume the race in fifteen minutes."

"How long have we been waiting?" Lightning asked.

"About an hour."

Lightning shook his hood in disbelief. It was ridiculous! But, then again, the officials had obviously decided that safety was more important that the racers' comfort.

Fifteen minutes later, the grid was cleared of everyone except for the racers and the safety car. Finally, the safety car set off slowly, leading the racers back out. Lightning, in last place, struggled to keep up with the racer ahead of him.

"JJ, I'm not feeling well," he admitted over the radio.

"Just do your best, Speedster. You've got less than twenty laps left. You can do it."

Gritting his teeth, Lightning started to push himself. Shortly after the racers entered the Chase, the safety car turned off into the pits.

"Green flag! Green flag!" JJ called over the radio.

Closing his eyes briefly down the main straight, Lightning accelerated. He was going to throw everything he had left at this race.

Over the next few laps, Lightning pushed himself harder than he'd ever done before in his whole racing career. He took some risks, surprising even himself when they actually paid off. He ended up losing a rear view mirror somewhere up near Skyline, but he barely even noticed. Then, thanks to a last minutes 'splash and dash' by some of the leaders, Lightning found himself up in third place.

"Fantastic work, Lightning!" JJ praised as the racers entered lap a hundred and fifty. "Shane VanGearsbergen has just stalled here in the pits. He can't get himself started again! Overtake Mostert, and then it'll just be you and Jamie. You can do this!"

Narrowing his eyes, Lightning's focussed on the Ford Falcon that was about two seconds ahead of him. The chase was on!

With just five laps to go, Lightning caught up with Chaz Mostert, who was trying to overtake Jamie. Chaz was so focussed on trying to get past Jamie, that he failed to notice Lightning creeping up on him.

At Forrest's Elbow, Lightning decided to take the risky inside racing line. The corner was tight, but thanks to the exercises Dutto had made him do, Lightning's turning circle had sharpened significantly. Even so, he accidentally traded paint with Chaz as they rounded the corner. Before Chaz could figure out who was passing him, Lightning floored it. He screeched down Conrod Straight at a blazing three hundred kilometres an hour. He felt a tightness in his engine as his speed limiter kicked in.

Reaching the Chase, Lightning slammed his brakes on hard to take the first corner. Unfortunately, his timing was a bit off, and he went skidding into the sand. Not one to let a bit of off-roading phase him, Lightning accelerated again, jumping back onto the tarmac. Although he'd lost a bit of momentum, Chaz was too far behind him to overtake him. Shaking himself a little, Lightning took off again, this time to chase down Jamie.

A few minutes later, they were on the second last lap. Lightning's sickness was getting progressively worse. Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus on Jamie's rear bumper, which was just ahead of him.

"JJ?" he said quietly over the radio.

"What?"

"I can't…see…"

"We call that 'racer's blindness'. It means you've pushed yourself too hard. Don't worry. I'll guide you through to the finish."

"Okay."

Listening closely to JJ's directions, Lightning managed to complete the lap without incident. Then, they were on the final lap.

"Lightning? Jamie's in reserve," JJ informed him as the racers charged up Mountain Straight.

Lightning frowned. That meant that Jamie was running very low on fuel, and he was now using the fuel in his back-up tank. The back-up tank could only hold enough fuel for a few laps.

"How long has he been in reserve?" Lightning asked.

"The last three laps. He'll run out before the finish. This race is yours, Speedster! Don't blow it!"

Lightning stayed directly behind Jamie, waiting for his teammate to start slowing down. But Jamie was still racing flat-out. Lightning could just hear Dutto shouting at Jamie over the radio to conserve fuel.

"Copy that," Jamie finally muttered with frustration as they passed over Skyline. Lightning remained like a bloodhound on Jamie's tail all the way through the Esses.

Finally, at Forrest's Elbow, Lightning made his move. He was just starting to overtake Jamie, when the other racer coughed.

"I'm out of fuel!" Jamie told Lightning with dismay. "Go for it, Speedster!"

Lightning didn't need further encouragement. He raced away, charging headlong down Conrod Straight. The crowd was cheering and screaming wildly as Lightning made his way safely around the Chase. Seconds later, Lightning raced down the Main Straight. He could just see the finish line and the chequered flag, but they were badly blurred. He focussed solely on them until he'd crossed over the finish line.

"You did it, Lightning!" JJ shouted over the radio. "Whoo-hoo!"

The noise of the crowd, JJ's shouting, and everything else finally overwhelmed Lightning. He could feel that he was on the verge of blacking out. Braking hard, he ran straight into the escape road at Hell corner, crashing softly into the tyre wall. He immediately passed out.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 21

Lightning moaned. Everything hurt! He'd never felt this bad after a race before. He could hear several hushed conversations going on around him, but he couldn't make out what anyone was saying. Moaning louder, he slowly blinked open his eyes.

He was inside the Redbulldozer Racing pit shed. It was dusk, and the race was well and truly over. His hood was open, and he could see that he was on an oil protein drip. Several industrial-sized fans were trained on him, keeping him cool.

Seeing that Lightning had come around, Dutto drove over to him. "Congratulations, Speedster! How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Lightning sighed. "Why did you congratulate me?"

"Because you won the Bathurst one-thousand! We had to go ahead with the trophy presentation without you. Craig's got it."

"Oh. Did I really win?"

Dutto looked concerned. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I'm not sure. After I crashed with Lee, it's all just a haze."

"I see…" Dutto said thoughtfully. "Well, you were badly dehydrated from the amount of oil you bleed, which is why you're on the drip. You're not going to like this, but I think you should be hospitalised overnight, so you can be kept under observation."

"I don't care, just as long as I can get plenty of sleep." And Lightning closed his eyes.

Within an hour, Lightning found himself at the Bathurst hospital being examined by several doctors. They all drew the same conclusion.

"Mr McQueen does have a very mild form of concussion," one of the brain specialists reported to Lightning, Leyland, Dutto, JJ, Sally and Mater. "Normally, we wouldn't worry about it, but after his exertions today, I think it will be best to keep him here overnight for observation."

Lightning moaned, making everyone look at him. He was terribly pale, and his tank churned uncomfortably.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he whimpered.

A nurse quickly drew a curtain around Lightning, and she placed a tray in front of him. His friends grimaced when they heard him retching.

"He will be okay though, won't he?" Sally asked the doctor anxiously.

"He should be. Concussion can be complicated though. We'll let you know at once if he takes a change for the worse. Now, if you'll excuse me, we need to get him settled in his room. If you want to wait in the waiting room, you can see him again in about fifteen minutes."

Leyland, Dutto, JJ, Sally and Mater reluctantly returned to the waiting room.

"Cheer up, Miss Carrera," Leyland said, trying to sound positive. "You too, Mater. I've seen this a lot in racers. They push themselves beyond their limits to win, but despite all their training and preparation, their bodies just can't handle it. It's just the body's way of saying that it's had enough."

JJ shook his head sadly. "I shouldn't have pushed him so hard."

"You wanted him to win," Dutto reminded him. "We all want our racers to win. As their engineers, it's our job to push them past what they believe they're capable of. Most of the time it pays off, but sometimes… You can't blame yourself for this, JJ. Remember, it's ingrained in a racer's DNA to win. And they will do it, not matter what it costs them. I've seen many racers struggling to finish a race even after they've been so badly damaged, any normal car would be in absolute agony!"

"Dutto's right," Leyland agreed. "Racer's just seem to be completely immune to things like pain and exhaustion until after they finish a race. I remember seeing a racer break his front axle on the final lap of a race. He limped pathetically over the finish line, winning the race, only to collapse in absolute agony once the adrenalin left his system."

Sally and Mater nodded slowly. They'd seen similar incidents in the Piston Cup. A nurse drove over to them.

"Only family may see Mr McQueen for the time being."

"He doesn't have any family here," Sally explained. "But I'm his girlfriend."

"I guess that's close enough. Please, follow me."

Sally glanced back at the other. Mater looked very disappointed at being left behind. Sally wanted to tell him that he'd be able to see Lightning again soon, but the nurse was already leaving the waiting room. Sally had to hurry after her.

A few minutes later, Sally entered Lightning's private room. Lightning was connected up to several monitoring machines, which beeped softly. He was still awake, but he was obviously very tired.

"Hey," Sally said, parking in front of him.

"Hi. Hey, could you phone mum for me, please, and let her know that I'll be okay? I don't want her to worry if she hears about this."

"Okay. You did great today, Stickers."

"Really? Because it sure doesn't feel like it."

"What do you mean?"

"I got no enjoyment out of winning. I used to get this feeling whenever I won. It was a feeling of complete satisfaction. I didn't get that today."

"You passed out, that's why."

"Maybe. Sal… I…I'm seriously thinking about retiring from racing."

Sally blinked once. "Why?"

"Well, if I don't enjoy it anymore…"

"You're depressed. You've had a very long day and you're exhausted. Think about it very seriously before you make your final decision, because once you drive away from it, you'll never return. Comebacks are almost never successful." And saying that, Sally drove out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Returning to the waiting room, she found the others waiting for her. Stopping in front of them, she let out a long sigh.

"He's seriously considering retirement," she announced.

"Noooo!" Mater wailed.

"Did he say why?" Leyland asked.

"He said he doesn't enjoy racing anymore."

Everyone fell silent for several minutes while they absorbed the news. Finally, Leyland spoke up.

"I think I know what to do. Dutto? JJ? As soon as Lighting's released from here, I'm going to give the entire team a week off in Sydney."

"But, we need to get the racers ready for the Gold Coast six hundred," Dutto protested. "It's only two weeks away."

"There'll be plenty of time for that," Leyland assured him. "But the racers are exhausted, both mentally and physically. They need some time to regather and chill out. Let them go wild for a change; but not too wild. Keep it within reason."

"Yes, sir. I take it that that means that King's Cross* is out of bounds then?"

"Definitely! Now, let's go and tell Craig, Jamie and Paul. I just hope they haven't been drinking too much..."

Leyland's phone rang. He promptly answered it. He listened for a moment, before groaning in disbelief.

"Okay, I'll be there shortly." He hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Sally asked.

"Uh… Apparently the pit crew boys have been celebrating a bit too much. I think a round of strong black coffees are in order, Dutto."

Groaning, Dutto followed Leyland out of the hospital. JJ, Sally and Mater followed them.

** *King's Cross is an infamous nightclub zone in Sydney. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

**Sorry this chapter's taken me a while to write. I wasn't happy with the first draft of this chapter, as I wasn't too sure where Lightning's story arc was going, so I left it for a few days to think about it. I'm happy with it now and I hope you enjoy it too. Please review! **

Chapter 22

The next morning, Sally and Mater arrived at the hospital to see Lightning. Arriving outside his room, they heard him talking quietly to someone. It was Leyland.

"Are you sure everything's set up?" Lightning asked anxiously.

"Yes, it's all organised. Just give Mater the signal when you're ready."

"Okay."

Mater was about to enter the room, when Sally stopped him. Knowing that Sally was hoping to hear more, Mater gave his tow hook a flick, causing a tray of medical equipment to fall off a trolley behind him.

"Dadgum! I'm so sorry abou' dat der guys!" he apologised to the nurses.

Hearing the commotion, Leyland quickly changed the topic. "Lightning why are you even considering retiring when you're at your peak?"

Lightning sighed tiredly. "After the race yesterday, I wondered why I still did it; why I pushed myself so hard just to win another stupid trophy. But then this morning, when I saw a replay of my win on the news, it began to sink in, and I realised what I'd accomplished. I'm a Bathurst winner! That's something none of my fellow competitors back home can claim."

Leyland chuckled. "Exactly. I'm just sorry you didn't get to celebrate it properly on the podium."

"It's okay. I was feeling pretty terrible after the race anyway. The only problem is now I'm wondering what I'll do with myself once this is over."

"You'll go back to the States and win yourself a seventh Piston Cup."

"And after that?"

Leyland frowned. "You weren't kidding about the whole retirement thing, were you?"

"I wish I was." Lightning sighed. "But what's the point when I keep winning everything? It's so boring!"

"Peter Brock had a similar problem. He just outclassed the rest of his competition, which is why they called him 'The King of the Mountain', referring to Bathurst. You're lucky in many ways. It isn't easy to achieve legendary status in racing. If you've got very little competition, you're halfway there. But legends don't quit when things are easy, do they?'

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. He was thinking about Doc. "Sometimes quitting isn't our decision to make," he mused.

"I know," Leyland smiled. "But if you quit now, think about all the things you'd miss out on. All the track records you'll never set; a record eighth Piston Cup; or even beating the Hudson's Hornet's 'most wins in a single season'."

Lightning flinched. "Err… I don't think I could ever take that away from Doc. He's got to be able to claim something. Otherwise, he'll be forgotten."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that. But it's up to you. You have everything all racers want. Raw talent, a fantastic support team and, most importantly, passion. Plus, like Craig, you're just an all-round nice guy. That's what the fans love. They like seeing their racing heroes living normal lives, just like everyone else. I know that in reality, your life is far from normal, but that's not how the fans see it."

"I suppose…"

"You know, you and Craig have a lot in common. You were both about the same age when you started racing, you both had brilliant mentors who died long before their time, and you both did exceptionally at Bathurst on debut. He came second in his first Bathurst back in 1994. Are you sure you're not twins separated at birth?"

Lightning burst out laughing. Leyland smiled. Hopefully, Lightning would shift his focus now.

"I don't think so," Lightning said once he'd stopped laughing.

"At any rate, I think it's time you focussed on becoming a racing legend instead of just a champion," Leyland suggested.

"I completely agree with you. There's still so much I can achieve. Thank you for helping me realise that, Leyland."

"You're welcome."

Sally and Mater drove into the room then. They'd been helping fix up the supplies Mater had knocked over. "Sorry about that," Sally apologised. "Mater was just being Mater."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lightning smiled.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Sally asked, kissing Lightning on the cheek.

"Much better."

"The doctor said he had ten hours of solid sleep," Leyland added. "He's also had another scan earlier this morning. The concussion's all cleared up. We're just waiting for the doctor to release him."

Sally breathed a small sigh of relief. Lightning looked at her wistfully, but Sally wasn't looking. Mater saw it though and, chuckling, he winked at his best friend.

…

"Okay, everyone! Listen up, please," Leyland said. "Let's get this debrief over with as quickly as possible, so we can all go and enjoy some down-time in Sydney.

They were back inside the Redbulldozer Racing pit shed. Lightning, who'd been released from hospital only an hour earlier, stopped talking to Craig, Jamie and Paul, and they all looked at Leyland.

"First of all, pit crew… Great job this weekend. The practice has really paid off."

The team of forklifts began slapping high-fives with each other until Leyland cleared his throat.

"And of course, we must all congratulate Lightning for the outstanding effort he put in yesterday. He nearly killed himself trying to win for us, but it was worth it, wasn't it?"

"Totally," Lightning agreed. "It's a real privilege to work with such an amazing team. Everyone should be really proud of their efforts. We worked well as a team, and we won this race together."

Everyone immediately began applauding.

"Well said, Lightning," Leyland smiled. Then, frowning, he turned his attention to Jamie. "Jamie… You've won many races for us in the past, but yesterday, you lost one. You were told to conserve fuel, but you blatantly chose not to "

"May I explain my actions?" Jamie asked. Still frowning, Leyland nodded. "I chose to ignore Dutto's order, because I decided that I'd rather try and win even without fuel, than finish with fuel and allow another racer to overtake me. It was a judgement call I made in the heat of the moment. No doubt, we'll all learn from it. My question is, who miscalculated my fuel consumption?"

"We'll discuss that later, Jamie," Leyland told him firmly. "Now, let's get this shed packed up. The sooner you do that, the sooner we can hit Sydney!"

"Yeah! Road trip!" Jamie yelled.

Lightning rolled his eyes. In some ways, Jamie was just too much like Mater.

…

Eight hours later, Lightning and Sally were at a fancy restaurant inside the Sydney Opera House, enjoying their evening meal alone together. Evening sunlight blazed through the large windows, illuminating the large dining room in a fiery orange haze.

"You're very quiet tonight, Stickers," Sally observed.

"Sorry, I'm just thinking about what to do about my racing."

"Here or back home?"

"Both. I just… I need a crew chief who can push me to my absolute limits. Ben's a nice guy, but he doesn't motivate me the way Doc did. I need to find someone like Doc."

"Mmm… That's not going to be easy, considering your record with crew chiefs."

Lightning shot her such a look! "Must you bring that up every time I mention crew chiefs? It's not my fault. Well, maybe at first it was. But, anyway, I think Ben would do much better with a rookie. I need someone who's not afraid to shout at me."

"Why don't you discuss this with Rusty and Dusty first?"

"I will. I'm just thinking about it."

"Wouldn't it be great if you could get Strip Weathers as your crew chief? That'd teach Tex a lesson for messing with you!"

Lightning grinned wickedly. "Sally! You're brilliant!"

"Yeah, I know," she replied, blushing.

After they'd finished their meal, Lightning and Sally took a drive around Bennelong Point, where the Sydney Opera House and the harbour bridge dominated the skyline. It was dark now, and a gentle, cool breeze blew around them. They were, apparently, all alone, but Lightning knew they weren't. A certain tow truck was hiding discreetly nearby.

"It's a beautiful night," Sally said, looking up at the Sydney skyline. She sighed wistfully. "This is such a beautiful city too."

"Nothing is as beautiful as you," Lightning muttered without looking at her. His eyes were on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He hoped everything was ready.

Sally turned to face Lightning. "Do you really mean that?"

Lightning looked straight at her. "Of course I do! I love you, Sally Carrera, more than I've ever loved anyone before or ever will. In fact…" He flashed his rear brake lights once. Sally didn't seem to notice. Lightning smiled when he saw his plan come to life. "…Why don't you turn around?"

Sally slowly did so. Then her jaw dropped in astonishment and she gasped. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up in red with the words, WILL YOU MARRY ME SALLY?

Turning back around to face Lightning, Sally's mouth remained open in astonishment and her eyes widened to their fullest when she saw Lightning holding the gold hubcap studded with rare pink diamonds that he'd asked Mater to buy for him weeks ago.

"I love you, Sally," Lightning told her sincerely. "More than you'll ever know, and I can't imagine my life without you. So, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Tears pricked Sally's eyes. Closing her mouth at last, she nodded. "I've been waiting years for you to ask me! I just didn't want to rush you when you weren't ready. Yes. Yes, I will marry you!" And she threw herself at Lightning in a tight embrace.

Hiding behind a nearby bush, Mater chuckled. He then whispered into a walkie talkie, "Geronimo!"

Lightning and Sally broke off their kiss when they heard the sound of fireworks whizzing up into the air. Sally gasped when she saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge exploding in a blaze of colourful fireworks.

"Lightning McQueen!" she gasped. "You didn't!"

"Oh, yes I did!" Lightning grinned, and they kissed passionately again.

Above the thunder of the fireworks, Lightning and Sally heard the sound of cars gathering around them, applauding. Looking up, they saw, not just Mater and the entire Redbulldozer Racing team, but also all their friends from Radiator Springs, including Mater's girlfriend, Holley Shiftwell, and Sally's parents, Lightning's aunts and…

"Mum?" Lightning whispered, astonished. "What… What on earth are you doing here? I thought you never flew!"

"Well, I had to make a personal sacrifice to be here for one of the most important moments in your life, considering I've missed many other significant milestones," Elinor explained.

"Who told you guys about this?" Lightning demanded to know. "I only planned the fireworks!"

Mater chuckled, and he held up his tow hook. "Guilty."

Lightning chuckled, forgiving his best friend immediately.

"Who's looking after Radiator Springs?" Sally asked.

"Some comrades of mine are guarding it," Sarge replied.

Craig and Jamie exchanged a glance before they started shouting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss...!"

Everyone else joined in the chant. Blushing profusely, Lightning and Sally reluctantly kissed in front of everyone. The chant turned into loud cheering and more applause. Wolf-whistling, Mater swung his tow hook wildly in the air. He stopped abruptly when Holley kissed him on the cheek, making him blush as well.

When Lightning and Sally broke off their kiss, Lightning picked up the gold hubcap. He gently removed Sally's front left hubcap, replacing it with the gold one, making their engagement official.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 23

"Hmmm…" Lightning moaned wistfully as he nuzzled his fender up against Sally's. They'd spent their very first night together in the Sydney hotel they were staying in. Beside him, Sally shifted a bit.

"Stickers? Are you awake?"

"Yeah…" Lightning replied, keeping his eyes closed.

"Well, can you stop leaning on me, please, so I can get up?"

Lightning immediately snapped open his eyes, and he reversed a bit. "Sorry!"

"Oh, don't apologise. I've only been awake for half an hour. At least I know what you really think of me."

"Huh?"

Moving closer to him, Sally gently patted his cheek with her tyre. "You still talk in your sleep." Chuckling, she drove out of the room. Lightning shook himself before hurrying after her.

"Wait… What did I say?"

Sally just continued laughing. "Uh, uh! That's my little secret!"

"Come on! Please, tell me!"

"Nope! My lips are sealed."

Catching up to Sally, Lightning made her spin around. She squealed before Lightning placed his lips over hers in a passionate kiss.

"Mmm… Now they're unsealed," Lightning muttered.

Laughing, Sally reversed. "Nice try, Stickers, but I don't give up secrets that easily! Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

…

"Come on, Strip! Pick up…" Lightning muttered with frustration as the dial tone continued to sound. Finally, there was a 'click' as the King, Strip Weathers, picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said, grunting heavily.

"Strip? It's me, Lightning."

"Oh. Lightning… Don't you have any idea what time it is over here?"

"Ten p.m. right?"

"Try eleven."

"Oh. Whoops! Sorry. You know I stink at maths."

"What do you want?"

"Uh… You know what? You're right. This isn't the best time…"

"Lightning McQueen! You've woken me up, now spit it out!"

Lightning gulped. "Uh… I was wondering if you'd like to become my crew chief next year." There. He'd said it.

Strip paused. "What about Ben?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. It's just, being here, I've realised that I need a crew chief who can push me to my limits. Ben's nice, and all. It's just that he's too nice, if you know what I mean."

"I think so. But Lightning… Haven't you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"About the Piston Cup board."

Lightning was confused. "No, I haven't heard anything about the Piston Cup since just before I won Bathurst. What's happened?"

Strip paused again, obviously trying to figure out how to tell Lightning the news. "There's no easy way to say this," he finally said. "The entire Piston Cup board has been suspended."

"What?" Lightning exclaimed.

"Yeah, uh… Apparently Junior reported the incident between you and Jimmy to the officials, and when they did nothing, he reported it to his lawyer. The lawyer arranged a police investigation and, well, one thing lead to another. The whole board has been sacked pending an inquiry, which is due to start next week. The police seized everything they could find; computers, files, black box recordings. Everything. A lot is going to come out of this. Secrets that none of us ever wanted revealed."

"Oh no!" Lightning groaned in disbelief.

"You're not the only one who's upset. We all are."

"How come nobody phoned me to tell me about this?"

"How should I know? We might be friends, but I have nothing to do with Rust-Eze, remember?"

"Yeah, sorry. So, what's going to happen with the Piston Cup?"

"The races have been suspended until further notice. The season will most likely end as it is."

"Which means I'll win my seventh Piston Cup by default, right?"

"Probably. Don't take my word for it. You'd better contact your bosses."

"I will. So, will you be my crew chief?"

"I can't say, Lightning. I mean, I'd like to, but we need to wait until after the result of the inquiry. As a retired racer, I might be asked to serve on a new board."

"Oh. I see. Thanks. You can go back to sleep now."

Strip snorted. "Yeah, thanks."

Lightning hung up the phone. Then he dialled Harv, knowing that his agent was always up late. Sure enough, Harv answered after only two rings.

"Hello?"

"Harv, what the hell is going on with the Piston Cup?"

…

"Lightning! Snap out of it!" Dutto shouted at him later that afternoon.

Lightning was having a private training session with Dutto and JJ in the hotel's gym. He was secured to the rolling road, and he was supposed to be going at two hundred kilometres and hour, so they could analyse how well he'd recovered after Bathurst. But Lightning couldn't concentrate after the conversation he'd had with Harv.

Lightning glanced at Dutto. "What?"

Dutto let out a long sight, and he held up one of his forklift arms. "Just stop for now, okay?"

With a sigh, Lightning obeyed. "What did I do?" he asked once he'd stopped.

"It's more what you're not doing," Dutto replied. "Now tell me straight. What's on your mind? You didn't have a fight with Sally, did you?"

"No! No, I just… I learned that the entire Piston Cup board has been suspended, pending an inquiry."

"Why?"

Lightning shrugged. "Numerous reasons. Corruption mainly. My agent, Harv, reckons a lot of secrets and things will be leaked to the media. I'm worried, because I try to keep my private life private. Most of my fans don't even know my middle name, or the date of my birthday! And I'd like to keep it like that. But it looks like I may not be able to for much longer."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. But I need you to focus now. Please."

"Okay. I'll try. What do you want me to do?"

"Take it up to two hundred again."

Lightning shook himself to try and push his thoughts aside. Then he revved his engine aggressively. At Dutto's nod, he took off at racing speed on the rolling road.

Soon, Dutto signalled for Lightning to stop again. This time, he unclamped Lightning from the rolling road.

"How'd I go?" Lightning asked as he drove off the rolling road.

"Not bad," Dutto replied, staring at the computer screens. "How's your engine feel? Honestly?"

"I think I'm missing some power somewhere."

"Mmm… I think so too. I might change the formula of your oil. See if that helps. Are you feeling balanced?"

"No, I'm still pulling to the left a bit."

"I blame the Piston Cup format for that," JJ said, picking up a tool. He fitted it to a bolt in Lightning's roof. "You're always going left, and it ruins your balance." With a grunt, he tightened the bolt.

"Ow!" Lightning yelped. "You'd better be able to adjust that back!"

JJ patted his roof. "I thought you American racers were tough!"

"So did I, until I met the Australian racers," Lightning retorted with a wink. "Seriously, from what I've seen and experienced, Craig and Jamie have my full respect. As do all the other V8 Supercar racers."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Lightning's phone rang then. Dutto grabbed it before Lightning could.

"Hello? No, this is Mark Dutton... I'm the chief engineer for Triple Eight Racing Australia. Who are you? Oh. Sorry. Yes, he's right here."

Dutto handed the phone over to Lightning.

"Hello?"

"Lightning McQueen?"

"Yes?"

"This is police inspector Jones. I'm the chief prosecutor in the Piston Cup inquiry. I hope you've heard of it over there in Australia?"

"Yes, but surprisingly not from my own team!"

Inspector Jones cleared his throat. "Oh. Right. Well, I've been going through the evidence, and I see you've been before the board on numerous occasions."

"So? Nearly every racer gets called before the board at some point in their career."

"I am aware of that, but there are some anomalies that will need to be cleared up in court. The inquiry is starting on Monday, so I'll need you to come to Nashville on Wednesday-."

"What? But I've got races that weekend!"

"I'm sure you'll make it back in time."

"And if I'm not? I know what these inquiries are like! They say you'll only need to appear for a day, and then that gets stretched to two days, and then a week! No, I'm sorry inspector Jones, but I've got contracts to honour, and there's a lot more than just a trophy at stake if I don't race next weekend!"

"I'm sorry about that, but the court date has already been set, and I can't change it."

"You'd better!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"You bet I am!"

"I could have you arrested for that, you know."

"Fine then! Go ahead and arrest me! See if I care! But if I don't appear at the Gold Coast six-hundred, you'll have an entire country of V8 Supercars fans to contend with! And trust me, you don't want to see these Australians when they're furious about something!" And with that, Lightning hung up his phone before inspector Jones could reply.

"Great work, Lightning," Dutto sighed as Lightning began dialling another number. "I've always said racers should never handle the police."

"He started it," Lightning snorted. A few seconds later, Harv answered Lightning's call. "Hey Harv! Listen, I need you to call up a prosecuting inspector called Jones. He wants me to appear before the Piston Cup inquiry next Wednesday, but he must see that that is simply impossible. I've got races coming up next Saturday and Sunday week, and if I don't race, poor Craig will have to forfeit the Enduro Cup. You must make him change the date for my appearance until after these races are over with."

"Whoa! Take a breath, Lightning. I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any promises."

"I know, but thanks anyway, Harv. Just do your best." And Lightning hung up his phone again. He passed it over to Dutto. "If inspector Jones calls again, just pretend you're from Dinoco. That'll confuse him!"

Dutto shook his head, but he didn't bother to reply. He knew better than to stir up an angry racer. He'd hopefully be able to talk some sense into Lightning later, once he'd calmed down.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 24

"Wow!" Lightning exclaimed, looking around the interior of Jamie's Gold Coast apartment. "I can't believe you really live here!"

"Yup! This is a typical Gold Coast bachelor pad," Jamie grinned. He parked himself between the arms of a sofa. "I love living here. During the off season, I can go surfing every morning and chill out on the beach. Dutto hates that because it doesn't do my paintwork any good, but I don't care."

Smiling, Lightning drove out onto the balcony. Looking down, he could see workers putting concrete blocks together around some of the nearby streets. "Is that the racetrack?"

"Yeah," Jamie replied, driving over. "Want me to talk you through it?"

"Yes, please."

Jamie pointed with a tyre towards the chicane. "The chicane is the worst place on the whole track. It really throws you around wildly. If you accidentally lock up your brakes on the approach, just go straight over it between the tyres. You won't be penalised for doing that, just as long as you don't gain a place."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Try to take the inside line on the apex. I know that'll be difficult for you, since your turning circle is atrocious, but do your best. There is an escape road there if you need it. Oh, and be careful not to go too wide on the final turn. You could end up losing more than just a mirror there."

"Got it."

"I think JJ and Dutto will cover the rest during our track drive tomorrow. By the way, have you heard anything about that inquiry? You're supposed to be appearing today, aren't you?"

"Yes. But it's all been sorted out, thanks to Harv and my bosses, Rusty and Dusty. I'm to appear before the court next Tuesday. If I don't I'll be arrested the moment I land in America."

"That seems very harsh. On what grounds?"

"Obstruction of justice."

"Oh. Haven't they forgotten that you have absolutely nothing to do with this?"

"That's just the problem. The prosecution seems to believe that I do know something, but they won't tell me anything about it! I just wish I could know what evidence they found against me."

"Unfortunately, the police prosecution know how to twist minor things into major ones."

"Yeah." Lightning let out a long sigh, and he turned around to look back inside Jamie's apartment. "Hey, is that your surfboard?"

"Yeah, I won it the first time I won here. I forget what year that was." They both went over to look at it.

"I take it you've won here quite a lot then?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't really keep tabs on my racing record. Often when I finish a race, a reporter will inform me that it's the first time I've won at that track in two years, or something like that. Records aren't a big deal to me. I'll keep racing for as long as I enjoy it. Once I stop enjoying it, that's when I know it'll be time to quit."

"What have you done with the other surfboards you've won?"

"Signed them, sold them at auction and gave the money to charity."

"Really? Wow. I'm not sure I could do that. I mean, I worked hard to earn it, right?"

"There's not much point in hanging onto them if you're not going to use them."

"Good point."

Jamie grinned mischievously. "Have you every surfed before, Lightning?"

"No. I'm not exactly close to the ocean back home in Radiator Springs."

"Would you like to learn?"

"Yes, but… I don't know…"

"Come on! I've got a spare board here somewhere. I can teach you now."

"Well… Okay then."

"Great! I'll just go and find that other board. I think it's the one I won in 2011. Be back in a sec!"

Lightning chuckled as Jamie drove away down the hallway.

Before too long, Lightning and Jamie were down on the beach, preparing to go into the water. Jamie was just securing the surfboard's strap to Lightning's rear axle.

"This is just so you can find your board again when you fall off," he explained.

"You don't sound very confident in my surfing capabilities."

"That's because I'm not. Can you do up my strap for me, please?"

Lightning did so.

"Good. Now, surfing is a lot harder than it looks, but it's great fun once you've mastered it. What you need to do is take your board out into the shallow water. Once it's floating nicely, you need to jump on top of it, so that your undercarriage is resting on it. That's a lot harder than it sounds, but it's great for developing strong axles. Once you're on top of the board, you need to paddle out into the surf with your wheels. When you see a wave coming that you like, you need to jump up onto your wheels, and then ride that wave all the way back to shore."

"That's it?"

"Yup!"

"I think I can handle that!"

"Don't be so sure…"

Shanking his hood, Lightning took his surfboard down into the shallow water. The water was a bit colder than he'd expected it to be, but he quickly got used to it. Jamie joined him in the shallows. Within seconds, he'd jumped up onto his board.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked.

Lightning pushed himself up out of the water. But he only managed to get half of himself onto the board, before he fell back into the water with a splash! Jamie was laughing when he surfaced.

"Stop it! This is only my first attempt. I'll bet you were like this when you first started."

"Can't remember. I've been surfing since I was four years old."

"How on earth did you become a racer?" Lightning asked rhetorically as he struggled in a most undignified manner onto his surfboard. "There!" he panted. "Made it!"

"I think we'll work on technique later," Jamie chuckled. "You've already worn yourself out getting on that way. You keep doing that, you'll be in no shape to race on Saturday. Let's go."

Lightning paddled after Jamie. It was hard work keeping up with him, which really surprised Lightning.

_Maybe I should take up another sport, just to help strengthen other parts of my body, like my axles_, he thought. His axles were already hurting from the strain he was putting on them.

He soon caught up with Jamie in the deeper water. Jamie was watching the horizon, waiting for the perfect wave to come along. Finally, Lightning saw him turning himself around to face the shore. He quickly did the same thing, even though he hadn't seen a big wave coming.

The wave came out of nowhere. Lightning didn't even have a chance to stand up before it washed right over him, sending him tumbling off his surfboard. For several terrifying seconds, he was swirled around inside the wave. He became so disorientated that when the swirling finally stopped, he had no idea which way the surface was. Luckily, he floated up to it, where he drew in a huge breath. He was just in time, because another wave washed over him then, sending him swirling around helplessly again.

Finally, Lightning felt sand beneath his tyres. Wearily, he drove out of the water and he collapsed onto his undercarriage on the sandy beach. His surfboard washed up onto the sand beside him.

"Had enough already?" Jamie taunted from behind him. "I am surprised! I thought Lightning McQueen could handle anything?"

Lightning just groaned in response, and he spat some sand out of his mouth.

Lightning was very much relieved when he and Jamie arrived back at Jamie's apartment. Although he'd had a rinse off down at the beach, he still had bits of sand stuck in many places he didn't even know he had! He was out of the balcony, shaking the sand off his tyres, when the phone rang. Jamie answered it.

"Hello? Oh, hey Leyland! Yes, he's still with me. We've just been for a surf. At least, I did. Lightning had a fantastic wipe-out, and that was the end of that! Anyway, what's up? Oh, really? Cool! Well, I guess we'd better head on down there then. Oh, and let Dutto know that Lightning will probably need a steam clean of his undercarriage and engine bay tomorrow. He's got sand everywhere! Okay. See you soon."

"What did Leyland want?" Lightning asked.

"The team's having a beach party tonight. We'd better get going, or we'll be late."

Lightning was very reluctant to return to the beach, but he went along anyway. It was early evening now, and the beach was much less crowded than it had been before. It wasn't hard for them to find the rest of the Redbulldozer Racing team. They were under a small marquee. Some of the pit crew members were cooking food over a portable stove.

"What's that?" Lightning asked Jamie.

Jamie looked surprised. "Don't tell me you haven't got barbeques in America?"

"Oh! So that's what it is. I have heard of them."

Jamie just rolled his eyes. "Hey, they've got beach cricket! JJ! I'm in for bat! Come on, Lightning!" And Jamie pulled Lightning over to the game before Lightning could even protest. Sure enough, JJ and some of the other Redbulldozer team members were teaching most of the Radiator Springs residents how to play beach cricket.

Half an hour later, Lightning managed to escape from the game, and he collapsed onto the sand beneath the marquee.

"Whew!" he panted. "Where does Jamie get his energy from?"

"Been showing you around, has he?" Leyland chuckled.

"More or less."

"He's just happy to be home," Dutto explained. "You'd be the same if you were about to attend a race meeting in Radiator Springs."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. By the way, what does a 'googly' mean in cricket?"

"Oh, boy!" Leyland groaned. "Maybe we should've brought a Frisbee for your benefit."

"Hey, it's not my fault we don't play these games in America!"

"BOO!"

"Arrgh!" Lightning screamed, leaping up and racing forward a few metres across the sand. He stopped when he heard everyone laughing behind him. Turning, he scowled when he saw Mater standing right where he'd been only seconds before. "Mater!"

"Haha! Gotcha good, buddy!"

"Maybe we should get Mater to do that to you on race day!" Dutto chuckled. "You sure can move fast when you need to!"

Rolling his eyes, Lightning drove back over to Mater. The tow truck had been partially repainted to resemble a Hawaiian shirt.

"Wow! Mater! What did you get up to today?"

"Oh, I jus' did a bi' of shoppin' an' a bi' of surfin'…"

"Surfing? How'd you go?"

"Better 'n you did! Ha!"

Lightning groaned audibly. "Don't tell me everyone knows about that?"

"Pretty much," Dutto confirmed. "I just happened to be driving past the beach this afternoon, when I saw you and Jamie. I recorded your big wipe-out on my phone." Holding up his phone, he showed the footage to Lightning. "Perhaps I should send it to RSN? After all, this is priceless material! I can see the headlines now. 'Lightning McQueen wipes-out on Gold Coast beach'. Yup! That'd hit the headlines!"

"You'd better delete that right now, Dutto!"

"Too late," Leyland chuckled. "He sent it to all of us. Actually, it's pretty funny when you watch it."

Lightning tried to rev his engine to show his anger, but he still had so much sand caught up in his exhausts that all he could do was expel it all in a dramatic spray. That made everyone burst out laughing hysterically. Deeply embarrassed, Lightning drove away.

"Oh dear," Mater said. "I think we upset 'im."

"He'll get over it," Leyland told him. "We were only teasing him. That's what these parties are all about. Letting the team relax."

"Yeah, but I don't think he's realised that," Dutto sighed. "Ease off the teasing, guys, okay?"

Everyone unanimously agreed to leave Lightning alone for the rest of the evening.

A little later, Sally found Lightning all by himself down at the water's edge. Sighing, she drove over to him.

"Hey."

"Are you here to tease me too?" Lightning sighed.

"No. Everyone's really sorry about that. I've brought you some dinner. Here. They call this a dagwood dog over here."

"It's a corn dog," Lightning said, accepting the food.

"Whatever it's called, we both know it's American," Sally said, chuckling softly.

Lightning took a small bite. "Hmm… Not bad. Actually, I think it tastes better than the ones we have back home."

"Must be the company."

That remark finally made Lightning laugh. "Yes, the company is beautiful tonight."

"I'm so glad you approve." And Sally nuzzled closer to him. "The moon looks so beautiful on the water."

"Yes."

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Guess I'm just stressing out about this whole inquiry thing. I'll be okay though."

"I hope so. Just remember, I am here for you should you ever need to talk to me about it. I am still a qualified lawyer."

Lightning didn't bother to reply. Instead, he planted a kiss firmly on Sally's lips.

"McQueen and Sally! Parked beside the sea! K-I-S-S-I-N-T!" Mater sang as he drove past them.

With a reluctant groan, Lightning and Sally broke off the kiss.

"Go away, Mater!" they shouted in unison.

Giggling, Mater drove over to Holley, who was parked a bit further down the beach, also watching the moonrise. Lightning was just about to kiss Sally again, when they were once again interrupted. This time, it was Elinor.

"Lightning! Dutto wants to talk to you."

"Duty calls," Lightning sighed as he began to head back to the party.

"Too frequently," Sally agreed. Sighing, she reluctantly followed Lightning. If she was lucky, they might be able to sneak another kiss together later.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me.**

Chapter 25

Dutto frowned as he watched Lightning pacing anxiously up and down the pit lane outside the pit shed. The only thing worse than an angry racer was a nervous one. At least with an angry racer, he could figure out a way to turn that anger into speed. That wasn't possible with a nervous racer. He really needed to calm Lightning down as soon as possible, before the racer wasted too much energy. He'd need it later for his first practice session on the Gold Coast street circuit.

"Lightning," he called softly, so as not to startle the racer. Lightning drove straight over to him.

"Yes, Dutto?"

"If you don't stop pacing, I'm going to have to clamp one of your wheels."

Lightning cringed. "Sorry. I'm just waiting for a call from Harv. To let me know how the inquiry's going, you know."

"Yes. But you have a lot you need to do today, besides worrying about that. Did you drink the formulated oil I made up for you?"

"Most of it," Lightning sighed. At that moment, his phone rang. He promptly answered it. "Hello, yes?"

"Hey hotrod," Harv replied. He sounded tired.

"How's the inquiry going?"

"Not good. The prosecution doesn't care that it could ruin the reputations of so many racers. They're going right back to when the current board first started, ten years ago. They started with The King, and they've really hammered him. Yesterday, the prosecution focused on the tie-breaker race from 2006."

Lightning groaned audibly. "Not again!"

"I'm afraid so. They wanted to know if Strip had lodged a protest afterwards. He claimed that he had, but there's no record of it. So, they brought Tex in, and he also claimed that they'd protested."

"I don't get it."

"If they had lodged a successful protest, Chick would've been stripped of the Piston Cup, giving The King the win."

"Oh! I see. I didn't know they had protested. So, if they did lodge a protest, what happened to it?"

"That is what the inquiry is trying to find out."

"Oh. Is there anything else?"

"I'm afraid not. But I'll let you know things as they develop."

"Okay. Thank you, Harv. Look forward to hearing more."

"I know you don't mean that last part," Harv quipped. "Good luck with your racing. Try to focus on that."

"I will, thank you. Bye." Lightning hung up his phone with a weary sigh.

"Okay, Speedster," Dutto said firmly. "You need to concentrate now, because you have your first practice run in just half an hour. Boys! Let's get him ready!"

The pit crew immediately jumped into action. Lightning stood still and quietly while they prepared him for his first practice session. Unlike Bathurst, the co-racers had their own practice session. The regular racers would have their first practice session later that afternoon. The team had already had their track drive earlier that morning. Lightning had done his best to concentrate, but he'd suffered from information overload. He only hoped he'd be okay.

Soon, Lightning was ready for the practice session. Physically anyway. He was still worrying about the inquiry. Luckily, he wasn't the first car out onto the track, so it didn't matter that he failed to see the green flags waving. He simply followed Paul out onto the track. The rest of the co-racers fell into line behind them.

Lightning made it around the first lap easily enough, but that was only because he wasn't going at racing pace yet. As Lightning approached the start/finish line, he saw Paul accelerate. Narrowing his eyes, Lightning also accelerated. The chicane really threw him around this time, but before he could correct himself, he spun around and rear-ending himself into the concrete wall.

"Ouch!" he yelped. "Okay, that's not good…"

"You okay, Speedster?" JJ asked over the radio.

"Uh… Yeah. I think I can still drive."

"Don't try," Leyland overruled. "I can already see significant body damage on you. After what happened to you at Bathurst, I don't want to take any changes. Stay there."

_Great!_ Lightning groaned to himself. _This is my own stupid fault! Why wasn't I paying better attention? _

Up in the box above the Triple Eight team pit shed, Sally, Mater, Elinor and the rest of the Radiator Springs residents watched on with concern as Lightning was towed back to the pit shed. Lightning's whole rear end was badly damaged, but most of it appeared to only be superficial.

_Still_, Sally thought sadly, _he must be in a lot of pain_. She switched on her radio. "Leyland? Will Lightning be okay?"

"We won't know until he's been assessed," Leyland replied over the radio. "It doesn't look too bad though. Don't worry. A lot of cars lose control through there. I've seen a lot worse."

A few minutes later inside the pit shed, Lightning shifted uncomfortably as Leyland, JJ and most of the pit crew gathered around to examine his rear end. He winced when one of the pit crew members touched his damaged spoiler.

"How long do you guys think it'll take to fix him up?" Leyland asked.

"Providing he hasn't sustained any structural damage, five minutes?" JJ replied.

Lightning was surprised. "Five minutes? How?"

Sniggering, one of the pit crew members held up a roll of duct-tape. Lightning's eyes widened upon seeing it.

"Uh, are you sure that'll hold?"

"Oh yeah," JJ assured him. "We use it all the time."

Lightning still wasn't too sure about it, but he trusted that the pit crew knew what they were doing.

While Lightning was having his rear end duct-taped back together, Craig and Jamie drove over to him.

"You'll be fine, Speedster," Craig tried to reassure him. "Jamie here did a spectacular side swipe into the wall at the other chicane back in 2009. You got off far more lightly than he did, and it's only your first time here."

Jamie groaned. "Did you have to bring that up, Craig?"

"What happened?" Lightning asked him.

"I wasn't concerntrating. I was thinking too much about winning the championship. I almost lost it because of that crash."

"Oh."

"Okay, Speedster," Dutto said over the radio, even though he was standing directly behind Lightning. "You're good to go. You've still got ten minutes left to practice, so make it count."

Smiling, Lightning reversed out of the pit shed. Seconds later, he accelerated out onto the track, giving it one hundred percent of his focus.

Up in the box, Lightning friends and family watched on enthusiastically when they saw that the Lightning they knew and loved was back. He attacked each apex with an aggression they hadn't seen for a very long time, and within about two laps, his lap times were starting to creep up.

"Okay, Speedster," JJ finally said as Lightning approached the start/finish line again, "You've got less than one minute left of practice. Let's see just how good you really are. Qualifying pace. Go for it!"

Just before Lightning crossed the start/finish line, he switched on his headlights, indicating that he was on a fast lap. Fortunately, because of his earlier crash, the rest of the racers were on the other side of the track, giving Lightning the room and clean air he needed to put in a very fast lap.

He flew over the first chicane, skipping lightly over it instead of allowing it to twist and contort his body. He cut the apexes as closely as he dared, losing his left-hand rear-view mirror on one. And down the straights, he took the shortest possible racing lines.

Inside the pit shed, Leyland, Dutto, JJ, Jamie and Craig gathered around the computer screens, watching anxiously as Lightning's split times came up. They weren't too surprised when the first sector came up green. They started getting more excited when the second sector also came up green.

Finally, as Lightning streaked over the start/finish line again, stopping the clock, the entire Redbulldozer Racing team cheered and applauded loudly. Not only was the third sector green, but…

"Race control has just confirmed that Lightning McQueen has just broken the Gold Coast Street Circuit's lap record by the narrowest of margins, with an overall time of 1:10.0798!" the commentator announced.

Up in the private box, all of Lightning's friends and family began celebrating. Sally joined Elinor at the window, to watch as Lightning returned to the pit shed. The grin spread across his face said it all. The old Lightning McQueen was back!


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 26

"How did that feel for you today?" Dutto asked Lightning.

"Great! I feel like my old self," Lightning replied enthusiastically.

It was early evening, and the teams had finished practicing for the day. Craig, Jamie and Paul had already left, leaving Lightning with Dutto, Leyland and JJ alone for a private debrief. Lightning had posted the fastest times for both of the co-racers' practices, while Craig had surprised everyone by being the fastest out of the regular racers' practices sessions.

"Is there anywhere you think you can improve?" JJ asked.

"My cornering still isn't as tight as I'd like it to be, and I'm still sliding a lot coming out of them."

"We've told you before; use the sliding to your advantage," Dutto told him firmly. "This track is covered in oil from everyday wear and tear by other cars, so if you can't control the sliding, you'll end up in the wall."

"Oh, I can control it," Lightning reassured him. "I just don't like going sideways, if you know what I mean."

Leyland nodded thoughtfully. "You any good at drifting?"

"I did it a bit as a teenager," Lightning shrugged.

"Good. Think of this track like a drifting course, and you should be okay. Just remember, you don't get any points for drifting during a race, so try not to get too carried away."

Lightning chuckled. "I won't! I'd better get going back to the hotel. I've starving!"

Dutto smiled. For him, there was nothing better than hearing those last two words from a racer after a hard day's racing. It meant that the racer had given his very best. "Don't let us keep you then."

Smiling with satisfaction, Lightning left the pit shed, and he started to make his way towards the hotel, where he was staying with his friends, family and the rest of the team. Only Jamie wasn't staying with them, because he preferred to stay in his own apartment whenever he was at home on the Gold Coast.

As Lightning drove down the street towards the hotel, he sensed that someone or something was following him. But whenever he glanced in his rear-view mirrors, he couldn't see anything unusual.

He was very much relieved to reach the hotel safely. The Redbulldozer Racing team had the entire fifth floor to themselves, leaving Lightning's friends and family from Radiator Springs scattered around in various rooms on the floor below. Lightning had wanted Sally to stay with him, but Leyland was very strict about having women staying with the team during a racing weekend.

Reaching the safety of his suite, Lightning drove out onto the balcony, and he looked down at the street below him. In the fading evening sunlight, he could just make out a black Range Rover lurking in the shadows of the building opposite. The Range Rover had some white writing printed on its side, but Lightning was too far away to read it. Frowning, he returned inside his room. He was sure that that Range Rover had been following him.

About an hour later, Lightning joined his friends and family downstairs in the hotel's restaurant. Glancing out of the window, Lightning saw that the Range Rover was still parked across the road, watching the hotel, although he was very hard to see now that it was dark.

"Hey, Leyland?" Lightning called.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea who that Range Rover is?"

"What Range Rover?"

"That one, over there. In the shadows."

Squinting, Leyland could just make out the Range Rover's outline. "Hmm... Nope! Never seen him before in my life! Why do you want to know?"

"He followed me here tonight."

Leyland paled slightly. Nearly every day, he received threats against his racers, but most of them were from disgruntled members of the public after a bad racing weekend, and a swift phone call to the police usually put a stop to the threat. But none of his racers had ever been followed before. It was concerning, and he had to ensure that Lightning was kept safe before he made his next move.

"Come with me, please, Lightning. You too, Dutto."

"What's going on?" Dutto wondered as Leyland led the way into a quiet back room.

"Lightning was followed this evening," Leyland explained once they were alone. "And his stalker is still outside, watching the hotel. Have you ever been stalked before, Lightning?"

"Only by Mia and Tia, a couple of my fans, but they're completely harmless," Lightning replied. "They've backed off in recent years though."

"I see. Have you received any threats against Lightning, Dutto?"

"No."

"Neither have I," Leyland sighed. "Okay, Lightning, this is what we're going to do. Until we know what this guy wants, you're not to go anywhere alone. In fact, it'll be better if you can have two friends with you at all times. Makes sure the door to your suite is locked properly before you go to bed, and I think it'll be best if Sally, Mater and Holley sleep in your suite tonight. I'll fill them in after dinner. Speaking of which, we'd better get back there before we're missed."

A couple of hours later, Lightning was just getting ready for bed, when he heard Sally, Mater and Holley arrive. He cautiously let them into his suite before locking the door.

"Do you have any idea who that guy is?" Lightning asked Holley.

"Sadly, no. I've run a scan on him, but he has no VIN number, which means we'll have to be extra cautious, since we don't know who he is or how dangerous he is."

Lightning nodded slowly. "I see."

"You're very calm about all this," Holley observed.

"What's the point in getting scared? It won't change anything."

Holley smiled. "You'd have made a great secret agent."

"I've been told I'd be good at a great many things," Lightning replied. "But I chose racing."

"Okay, stop getting sentimental!" Sally interrupted. "I'll sleep beside Lightning in the bedroom, and you two can sleep out here. If anything happens, wake me up first. Lightning needs his sleep."

And with that, everyone headed off to bed.

"I gets first dibs wit' da sofa!" Mater shouted excitedly.

"Not if I get there first!" Holley retorted, grabbing him by his tow hook and pulling him to an adrupt stop. She then darted past him, parking herself between the arms of the sofa first.

"Hey! Dat ain't fair!" Mater whined.

Chuckling, Lightning and Sally left them to it. Lightning was glad to have Sally settle down beside him in the privacy of his bedroom.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," he said, and he kissed her fondly on the cheek.

"Go to sleep. Stickers," she ordered. Seeing him obediently close his eyes, she gave him a quick peck. Lightning opened his eyes for a moment, but then he settled down to go to sleep.

…

Shortly after midnight, Holley awoke with a start. She wasn't sure what had woken her, but all her nerves tingled with anticipation. She was alert, and ready for action if needed.

After waiting in silence for a few minutes and hearing nothing, she was about to settle back down to sleep, when she heard the sound of an engine out in the hallway. Whoever it belonged to sounded like they were pacing back and forth outside the suite.

Arming herself with her stun gun, Holley cautiously opened the door. In the dimly lit hallway, she could see the rear end of the black Range Rover retreating from her. She was just about to move forwards, when the Range Rover suddenly spun around, discharging his own stun gun straight at Holley…


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 27

Hearing Holley scream, Mater snapped awake. Without a thought for his own safety, he burst out into the hallway. What he saw made him freeze. Both Holley and the black Range Rover had shocked each other with their stun guns!

Since the guns were still discharging electricity, Mater cautiously made his was over to the Range Rover. He was glad now that Holley had taught him how to disarm them. He was just about to touch the stun gun, when Sally, Lightning, Dutto and Leyland appeared.

"Stay back!" Mater ordered them. "I know wha' I'm doin'."

"Be careful, Mater," Sally whispered.

Taking a deep breath, Mater carefully pressed the button, receiving a small zap as he did so. The stun gun immediately stopped emitting electricity. Mater shook his tyre, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Holley?" Sally called anxiously. "Holley, can you hear me?"

Holley moaned weakly. Then she opened her eyes. "Mater?"

"I'ms right here, Holley," he replied, gently nudging her.

"Wh-what happened?"

"You stunned each other," Leyland replied. "You can shut down your own gun. I don't think our friend here will be going anywhere in a hurry."

Holley switched her stun gun off, and she slowly staggered back upright onto her tyres. A few seconds later, the Range Rover also did the same. Seeing the white letters written on his sides, Holley gasped.

"Oh, no!" she whispered. Then she drove closer to him. "Sir, I really must apologise for stunning you! I didn't know who you were!"

"I hope you still don't," the Range Rover groaned.

"Well, I may not know your name, but I feel incredibly guilty for doing what I just did to a fellow officer of the Crown."

"What?" Lightning said, puzzled. Everyone else looked equally confused.

"He's an AFP officer," Holley said, trying her best to explain.

"What's AFP?" Mater asked.

"Australian Federal Police," Holley and Leyland replied in unison.

"Well, now that you know who I am, who the hell are you?" the Range Rover asked Holley.

"I work for C.H.R.O.M.E."

"Oh! I see. Sorry I stunned you. I was acting on instinct."

"So was I. I'm Agent Shiftwell."

"Constable Harman," the Range Rover replied, smiling. Then he saw Lightning. "Oh, dear! Now my cover's been blown!"

"Why were you following me?" Lightning demanded to know.

"I'm afraid I don't know all the details," Constable Harman told him. "But it's something to do with an inquiry over in the States. I was ordered to follow you, and then alert the American authorities the moment you left the country."

"Why?"

"So they could arrest you upon your return for Obstruction of Justice."

"But I have until Tuesday to get back there!"

"They obviously don't believe you'll make it."

Sally scoffed. "They've forgotten about the time difference."

"Why am I being criminalised?" Lightning asked with a small whine. "I have done absolutely nothing wrong!"

"If you ask me, Inspector Jones is a real piece of work," Dutto muttered.

"Nobody asked you, Dutto," Leyland retorted. "Okay, I think it's time we all returned to bed. Constable Harman? I want you to call your superior and let me talk to him."

"Now?"

"Right now."

Realising that the danger was gone, Lightning and Sally returned inside the suite. Back in the cosy bedroom, they settled back down to sleep.

…

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Moaning, Lightning stirred. At first, he couldn't figure out where the beeping sound was coming from, but then he realised that it was his alarm. Reaching over, he tried to shut it off, but he missed, and his wheel fell limply to the ground. He moaned again. A few seconds later, he heard Sally switch off the annoying alarm.

"Wakey, wakey, Stickers," she called softly.

"Try me next week," Lightning muttered.

Someone knocked loudly on the bedroom door. "Time to wake up, Lightning!" JJ called. "Race day!"

Lightning's only response was to hurl a cushion at the closed door. Sighing, Sally opened the door.

"Sorry, JJ. Lightning didn't get enough sleep last night, and he's a bit grumpy this morning. Think you can cope with that?"

"I suppose I'll have to," JJ sighed. He looked past Sally. "Time to wake up, Speedster! Jamie and Craig have been up for the last two hours, and they've already had physio. You're next, but you need to have breakfast first."

"What is for breakfast?" Lightning asked, keeping his eyes closed.

"Your usual."

"Get out!" Lightning snapped. "I'm over those formulas!"

"I'll try and calm him down," Sally whispered.

"Please do. Dutto will throttle him otherwise."

Sally quickly closed the door, and she turned to face Lightning. The race car slowly opened his eyes.

"We need to talk," Sally said in her no-nonsense tone.

Lightning gulped. He knew that he was about to receive an earful…

…

Two hours later, during the qualifying session for the first race, Lightning drove into the Redbulldozer Racing pit shed, followed closely by Constable Harman. The AFP officer had been following him the moment he'd left his hotel suite; even waiting outside the room where Lightning had undergone his physiotherapy session.

"Does he _have_ to keep following me?" Lightning complained to Leyland.

"I'm afraid so," Leyland sighed. "But if anyone asks, just say he's your bodyguard."

"You've got to kidding me! I don't need a bodyguard!"

"Perhaps not, but you've got one anyway. Constable Harman? I'm sorry, but if you're going to stay in here, you'll need to stay well out of our way. Technically, you're not even supposed to be in here."

"My orders were to stay with Mr McQueen," Constable Harman pointed out.

"Good luck, because you won't be able to do that once the race starts," Leyland scoffed. "Unless you're capable of driving at three hundred kilometres an hour. Are you capable of driving at three hundred kilometres an hour?"

Constable Harman shook his hood.

"I didn't think so." Leyland looked back at the screens. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Craig's name at the top of the qualifying times. "What'd I miss?"

**Please review! I'd like to know if my American and other international readers are enjoying this story, and if you've learned anything new about racing here in Australia. Just for my own curiosity. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 28

"I can't believe Craig absolutely blitzed me in qualifying!" Jamie complained to Lightning a short time later. "I mean, he hasn't been able to do that since my rookie year way back in 2005! I just can't understand it… And at my home track too! It's embarrassing!"

Lightning just continued sipping on his formulated oil, mostly ignoring Jamie's outburst. Craig was discussing his performance with Dutto, and Paul was chilling out under the buffer. The first race was about to begin, and owing to the V8 Supercar rules for this event, Craig and Jamie would start the race.

"Lightning!" Jamie snapped.

"Huh?"

"Haven't you been listening to me?"

"Oh yeah. I've been hanging off your every word." Lightning was only joking, but because Jamie was so upset, he failed to notice that. Lightning knew the reason for Craig's sudden burst of speed. His recalibrated speed limiter had settled in, allowing Craig to race at full speed without too much effort.

Craig finished talking to Dutto, and he drove over to Lightning and Jamie.

"Hey, Lightning. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome."

Jamie watched Craig drive over to the other side of the pit shed. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing."

"Have you been helping him?"

"Maybe."

"I don't believe this!"

"What's wrong with me helping him? He is your teammate after all!"

Jamie sighed in defeat. "Yeah. Sometimes I forget that little detail. Especially out on the track."

"Craig! Jamie!" Leyland called. "It's time to line up."

"Good luck, guys!" Lightning called as Craig and Jamie left the pit shed. Then he drove over to Paul. "Okay, mate," he said, trying to imitate the Australian accent. "It's my turn for the buffer!"

"Gotta move me first!" Paul retorted.

Lightning was just about to push Paul out from beneath the buffer, when he saw a Channel 7 TV crew enter the pit shed.

"Hey, Leyland! Can we have a moment of your time, please?" the reporter asked.

"Sure," Leyland sighed. He was obviously very much put out by the interruption. "But make it quick."

"We were watching Craig during qualifying. He seems to have found some form at last, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what's happened, but it's the same will all racers. Sometimes, they just feel really good on the day, and that results in a fantastic performance. 'Course, anything can happen out on the track, so we just need to be careful and try to avoid double-stacking in the pits."

"Craig and your American co-racer, Lightning McQueen, are currently on top of the points for the Enduro Cup. Do you think it was worth bringing Lightning over here for it?"

"Definitely. He's really lived up to my expectations. Hope he does just as well today."

"Everyone's still talking about his win at Bathurst. I don't think any racer has ever won at Bathurst on debut. What do you think that says about Lightning's future in racing?"

"Well, I think it's obvious that Lightning's nowhere near ready to retire from racing yet. He's a very talented racer, but he does get bored very quickly. I think maybe he should consider trying other racing codes for a while." Seeing Lightning out of the corner of his eye, he winked at him.

The reporter also noticed Lightning. "Lightning, can I just ask you one quick question?"

"Sure."

"Do you think you and Craig will win the Enduro Cup?"

Lightning shrugged. "I'd rather not tempt fate by saying yes or no. We're only halfway through the Enduro Cup, and anything can happen. Why don't you ask me that question again tomorrow after the race?"

"Okay, thank you," the reporter said. Seeing Dutto eyeing them crossly, he and the TV crew hurried out of the pit shed.

"Reporters!" Dutto spat. "Wish they'd mind their own business!"

"Their job _is_ to stick their nose into our business," Paul muttered.

Seeing that Paul had vacated the buffer, Lightning darted beneath it, and he eagerly switched it on.

…

Ten minutes later, Lightning joined most of the team members in pit row, to watch the start of the race. Craig was on pole, with Jamie right beside him. They revved their engines loudly.

"Once again, it's a Redbulldozer grid!" the commentator announced. "We're just waiting for the green flag…"

"Going green!" Dutto said to Craig and Jamie over the radio. "Try not to hit each other."

Craig and Jamie responded by revving their engines again.

"Lights out!" Dutto shouted.

In a blur of colour and screaming noise, the racers took off. Lightning immediately lost sight of Craig and Jamie, so he looked up at the large screen opposite the pit row, to see what was happening. The moment he did, he heard the familiar sound of wheels locking up and tyres skidding just off to his left. Through the smoke, Lightning saw that James Courtney and David Russell had collided, causing Courtney to hit the wall.

"What'd you do that for?" Courtney snapped. "You had plenty of room!"

"No I didn't! I had Shane coming up fast beside me. I'm sorry, James, but I swear I didn't see you there!"

"Well, you should've been paying attention! Now we're both out of the race!"

Lightning chuckled quietly. They'd both be okay. He looked up at the screen again.

The racers thundered through the chicane. Lightning breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Craig and Jamie make it cleanly through. Frosty was pushed to the outside, so he had no choice but to drive straight over the chicane, dodging between the stacks of tyres as he did so. That put him back three spots. Lightning saw the Ford racer grimace. Clearly, he wasn't happy.

Seeing the course from the perspective of the overhead cameras, Lightning realised just how tight the Gold Coast Street Circuit really was. It made the two street circuits he raced on in the Piston Cup seem so easy! He found himself wincing whenever he saw a racer get too close to a wall, or too close to each other.

"Hey, guys?" Dutto said into his headset. He was still parked beside Lightning at the pit row wall. "Race control have just called out the safety car."

Subtly switching on his own radio, Lightning listened to Jamie and Craig's responses.

"Why, what's happened?" Craig asked.

"Courtney and Ingall had a disagreement on the grid."

"Damn!" Jamie muttered softly. "Just when I was about to overtake you, Craig!"

"Yeah, sure!"

"Guys!" Dutto snapped. "Stay focussed, please! You're racing everyone else, not yourselves! Jamie, Craig has priority. Any contact will be your fault. Understood?"

"Affirmative," Jamie sulked.

Seconds later, Craig and Jamie led the field of racers down the home straight, going at safety car pace. Lightning watched as the safety car drove out onto the track in front of them, lights flashing. Dutto turned to Lightning.

"Leyland wants you to swap with Craig during the next safety car. We don't know when that will be, so stay alert and ready."

"I will," Lightning promised.

"And you can get yourself back inside the pit shed! Grab yourself a can of chilled oil and try to stay cool. It's going to get up to thirty-two degrees today, so you need to stay hydrated. I don't want you collapsing like you did at Bathurst."

Lightning reluctantly obeyed. Even he had to admit that he had started feeling rather hot. Grabbing a can of oil out of the fridge, he settled down beside Paul.

"Don't get too comfortable," Paul warned. "We may have to hit the track with a moment's notice."

"I know, Paul. I'm good."

The race got back underway two laps later. Craig got the jump on Jamie at the restart, and he took off, pushing himself hard.

"Hey, ease up a bit there, Craig!" JJ ordered. "I know this is a race, but there's no point in going out so hard so early. Especially when there could be another safety car at any moment."

Craig obediently slowed down a bit. A few minutes later, he was glad he did, when two racers from the same team side-swiped each other, spinning one of them around. The safety car was promptly sent out.

"Come in, Craig," JJ ordered.

"Jamie, do one more lap and then come in," Dutto added.

"Affirmative," both racers replied in unison.

JJ and Dutto turned to look at Lightning, only to find him already making his way over to the exchange point. He revved his engine aggressively. He was determined to attack the track in the same manner he had during practice. Then he heard Dutto's voice over the radio.

"Wait, Lightning… Wait… Wait…"

Hearing Craig coming up behind him, Lightning moved his wheels a fraction. Dutto's quick eyes saw it.

"Wait!" he ordered firmly, making Lightning jump.

Craig came to a stop directly behind Lightning. He could feel Craig's hot breath on his rear bumper.

"Okay, go! Go! Go! Go!" Dutto shouted.

Lightning floored it, accelerating out onto the track, falling into line directly behind the safety car. He wasn't sure where he was in regards to the race, but before he could ask, JJ told him.

"You're in the lead, Lightning. We're just bringing Jamie in now to swap him with Paul. The race is yours now. Don't blow it!"

"I won't," Lightning promised.

A lap later, the safety car left the track, and the race restarted. Lightning saw some of the racers merging onto the track from the pit lane ahead of him, but since they were a lap behind, he hoped none of them would get in his way.

They didn't. They kept well over to the left, giving Lightning plenty of room. He flew through the chicane, becoming completely airborne momentarily as he raced over the second apex. He grinned. He loved getting airborne, even if it did put a lot of stress and strain on his body.

Seconds later, Lightning approached turn four, and its sharp apex. He applied his brakes a little bit too late, which caused his rear wheels to go sliding. For a moment, Lightning completely lost control. Then, for the third time in two months, Lightning slammed his right-hand side into the outside wall. He heard a loud 'crack!', but he thought it was just his rear-view mirror breaking off. Then the pain hit him. Groaning, he gritted his teeth, but he didn't slow down. He continued racing, accelerating down the back straight. The pain in his side was sharp, and he realised that he might have done some significant damage.

"JJ? Dutto?" he called over the radio. "I-I think something's broken."


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 29

Leyland, Dutto, and JJ were busy ensuring Jamie and Paul's switch was clean, so none of them actually saw Lighting's crash with the wall. Hearing Lightning's pained voice over the radio, JJ looked up at the screens just in time to see a replay of it.

"Oh, goodness!" he whispered under his breath. Then, speaking into his headset, he said, "Lightning? Are you still able to drive?"

"Yeah, yeah. I-I think so. But my side really hurts!"

"Okay, ease up for now. I'll just concur with race control before they decide to black flag you."

Craig drove up beside him. "Black flag who?"

JJ ignored him as he flicked a switch. "Control? Do we need to bring McQueen in?"

"Negative," came the reply. "We can't see any significant external damage, and he isn't bleeding any oil. We'll keep an eye on him though, but for now he can keep racing."

"Copy that." JJ flicked the switch back. "Lightning? Race control are happy for you to continue. Do you think you can?"

"Yes."

Since Lightning sounded confident, JJ decided to leave it at that. He glanced at Leyland and Dutto.

"What happened?" Leyland asked.

"Lightning side-swiped the wall. He's in pain, but he's still able to race."

Leyland frowned with concern. Glancing up at the screens, he saw Lightning accelerating down the home straight. He didn't look like he'd been badly too hurt, but the expression on his face was clearly one of pain. He turned to Dutto.

"Get Dr Andrews in here, quick!" he ordered.

Dutto sent one of the pit crew members off to fetch Dr Andrews. The team doctor was quick to arrive. When he did, JJ filled him in on the situation.

"Can you give him a painkiller?" JJ asked.

"I'm afraid not, because they're all illegal for racers. The reason they're illegal is because the main side effect is drowsiness."

"I see," Leyland frowned. "Then, there's nothing we can do to ease his pain?"

"I'm afraid not."

Leyland nodded. "Can you stay here to keep an eye on him?"

"Of course!"

Out on the track, Lightning continued racing. He was still in the lead, but his side was throbbing painfully. All he had to do was complete each lap cleanly and stay in the lead. That was not an easy task in the best circumstances, and it was even hard now that he was injured.

"How many more compulsory laps do I need to do?" he asked JJ feebly.

"Twenty. You're minimum compulsory laps is thirty-four."

"Oh."

"Do you want to come in?"

"No. I'll keep going."

"Uh… Reynolds just went into the wall. We've got another safety car."

"Do you want me to pit?" Lightning asked.

"Hang on. Dutto? Does Lightning still have priority?" There was a pause, and then JJ replied to Lightning's question. "Yes. Come in. We'll do a full pit stop including brake pads. That should give you a chance to catch your breath."

"Copy that." And Lightning peeled off into pit lane.

As soon as Lightning reached the Redbulldozer pit, the pit crew leapt into action. They set about refuelling him, and changing his tyres and brakes pads. Lightning closed his eyes for a moment. He was hot, sore and tired. Dutto and JJ exchanged anxious glances.

"You've got nineteen more laps, Lightning," Dutto told him. "You can do it."

Dr Andrews was taking a quick look at Lightning's injured side. He returned inside the pit shed shortly before Lightning took off again.

"How bad is it?" Leyland asked him quietly.

"I can't see much from the outside, but I'd like to do some scans and x-rays after the race."

"What do you think it is?"

"Look, I'd rather just wait until I've done the scans and x-rays before I say anything."

Lightning continued racing, but the pain in his side was becoming steadily worse. "JJ?" he called. "I-I don't think I can keep going. I feel like I did at Bathurst."

"Five more laps, and then we'll bring you in," JJ promised.

Narrowing his eyes, Lightning prepared himself for one last effort. He accelerated again, going as fast as he safely could around the tight street circuit.

"Come on!" he whispered to himself. "Speed! I am speed!"

The five laps passed quickly. JJ was worried though. He didn't want to bring Lightning in without a safety car, or they could lose the significant lead Lightning had given them. Luckily, just as JJ was about to call Lightning in to the pits, one of the racers, David Wall, collided with the wall. The safety car was promptly sent out.

"Come in, Lightning! Now!" JJ ordered.

Lightning was only too happy to comply, and he was glad to swap over with Craig.

"You did great, Speedster!" Craig shouted as he raced out onto the track.

Exhausted, Lightning collapsed onto his chassis. "Do I really have to do this again tomorrow?" he moaned.

Dr Andrews gently nudged him back onto his wheels. "Now you understand why the V8 Supercars don't race every single weekend the way they do in the Piston Cup. It takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?"

"Mmm… I'm beginning to realise that."

"Come on. Let's get you cooled down, and then I need to take some x-rays and scans of your side."

…

"Hmm…" Dr Andrews frowned as he examined Lightning's x-rays and scans about an hour later, inside the first aid room. The track doctor was there too, also examining the x-rays and scans.

"How bad is it?" Lightning asked with a small sigh.

"Well, I'll be honest. It's not good." Dr Andrews turned to face Lightning. "You have a hairline fracture in one of your anti-roll bars."

"What does that mean?"

"One of your anti-roll bars has a crack in it. From the looks of it, I'd say that the crack has been developing slowly over the last couple of months. You're lucky it hasn't broken all the way through, but it will if you take one more big hit on your right-hand side. You took a big hit during Bathurst, didn't you?"

Lightning nodded. "And two weeks before that, Jimmy slammed me into the wall during that race I did back home."

"That must have been when it first started. You racers never cease to amaze me. Most cars would've been in absolute agony after a crash like that."

"You need to be tough to be a racer," Lightning smiled. "How long will it take to heal?"

"Minimum, three months."

"Three months?" Lightning exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"I'm afraid so." Dr Andrews looked sadly at Lightning. "I'm really sorry, but you can't risk racing during that time. A full break will take even longer to heal."

"I understand." Lightning sighed with frustration. "What about the Enduro Cup?"

"I'll talk to Leyland. I'm sure he'll understand. Bottom line is, you won't be racing tomorrow. But before I go, we'd better give you a painkiller. Your side will start hurting more once the adrenalin leaves your system."

The track doctor was already preparing the painkiller. Lightning sighed. Once he'd been given that painkiller, he wouldn't be allowed to race again until it had left his system, which could take as long as seventy-two hours. Dr Andrews was right. There was no way he'd be able to race again tomorrow, even though he wanted to. It was very disappointing, but Lightning knew, deep down, that he couldn't take the rick. Dr Andrews watched as the track doctor administered the painkiller into Lightning's tank.

Shortly afterwards, Dr Andrews left Lightning alone with the track doctor. Moving slowly over to the TV, Lightning settled down to watch the rest of the race. He was relieved to see how well Craig was doing.

_Poor Craig_, Lightning thought. _He's going to be devastated when I tell him._

Only eight years earlier, Lightning would've been fighting to get back out onto the track as soon as possible. But now that he was older and wiser, he knew that it wasn't worth trying.

Craig ended up winning the race, with Jamie and Paul coming in sixth place. Lightning was quickly ushered upstairs, to the room behind the podium. Craig gave him a friendly nudge.

"Hey. Dr Andrews told us about your fracture. Tough break."

"Yeah," Lightning chuckled, fully understanding Craig's joke. "Look, I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault. Leyland's already trying to find another co-racer for me to race with tomorrow."

Lightning immediately felt sick in his tank. He was going to be replaced, just like that. But he wasn't surprised. He knew it would happen. Leyland didn't have a choice.

Outside, Lightning heard the third and second place winners being announced. Craig gently nudged his fender again.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just…thinking…"

The announcer's voice rang out again. "Representing the Triple Eight Race Engineering Team to accept the team trophy, Team Manager and Chief Engineer, Mark Dutton!"

The crowd cheered as Dutto drove out onto the podium.

"And now for our winners of race thirty-one, Craig Louds and Lightning McQueen!"

The two racers drove out onto the podium. Lightning smiled when he saw the huge crowd down below them. He could easily see the Redbulldozer team, and his friends from Radiator Springs in the crowd. Mater was swinging his tow hook wildly through the air. Lightning couldn't help grinning at his quirky best friend. Lightning and Craig were then presented with their trophies.

Afterwards, Lightning went to see Leyland privately.

"Leyland, I…I hope I haven't let you down or anything…"

"Quite the contrary, Lightning," Leyland assured him. "You've surpassed my expectations, and I'm very satisfied with your efforts."

"Sorry I can't race for you tomorrow."

"Lightning, please stop apologising! These things just happen, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Did you find a replacement for me?"

"Yes. But just between us, he's nowhere near as talented as you are. Still, if Craig wins the Enduro Cup tomorrow, the three of you will get your names on it. In some ways, we're lucky it was you who was injured and not Craig. You see, if Craig had injured himself, that would've been it. But under V8 Supercar rules, we can replace the co-racer if need be, without penalty. Everyone else will have to qualify again tomorrow, so it'll be an even playing field. It's just a shame that you won't be there to start the race for us."

"Yeah. Look, I'm really sorry-."

Leyland's wheel flew straight at Lightning's mouth. "If you say you're sorry one more time, I'll make you share a room with Dutto tonight! And trust me, you don't want that! Dutto could out-snore a fog horn any day! Or rather, any night!"

Leyland lowered his tyre as Lightning chuckled. "Actually, I was thinking of heading home early tomorrow morning. I need to face this inquiry and, most importantly, give my side time to heal."

"Yeah. We'll really miss you though. Maybe we should gather the team together for dinner somewhere, as a way of thanking you?"

"That's a nice offer, Leyland, but I'd rather just slip away quietly, please. The painkiller is starting to kick in, and I don't feel up to having a late night. Besides, the team needs to have plenty of rest. It's a big day for them tomorrow."

"You're always thinking about everyone else, aren't you? That's why everyone likes you. Please, at least say goodbye to everyone before you go. That's the least you can do."

"I will," Lightning promised. "You've all been so amazing and helpful, and I can't thank you enough for that. I'd love to come back here again one day soon to race."

"Hmm… I think I could arrange that… Maybe…"

"Well, anyway. I'd better go and let my friends know, so we can book our flight. Thanks again, Leyland. For everything."

"You're welcome, Lightning. Take care."

"You too." Lightning reluctantly drove away from Leyland, dialling a number into his phone as he went. After five rings, the person on the other end answered.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" a sleepy voice grumbled.

"Harv. It's me. Listen, I'm coming home a day earlier than planned."


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 30

"Would you like a drink, ma'am?" the flight attendant asked Sally quietly.

"Yes, please," Sally replied.

While the flight attendant prepared her drink, Sally glanced anxiously at Lightning, who was fast asleep beside her. He'd been rather quiet since he'd announced to everyone the night before that they were catching the first possible flight back home. While the others might be somewhat relieved by his silence, both Sally and Elinor knew that it was a sign that Lightning wasn't happy. Sally thought she knew why, but since Lightning refused to talk about it, Sally decided not to upset him further. He'd talk when he was ready.

They'd managed to get away without Constable Harman noticing. He'd been fast asleep on duty when Lightning and Sally had crept out of their hotel suite shortly before dawn. Lightning felt a bit guilty about that, knowing that the young constable would be disciplined by his superiors for sleeping on duty, but it was the only way he'd been able to return to America without everyone knowing. The last thing Lightning wanted was a big scene at the airport. Luckily, Harv had figured out a way for them to avoid going into the main airport terminal once they arrived back in Los Angeles.

After she'd been given her drink, Sally gently nudged Lightning. Actually, she had to nudge him three times before she got a response. Clearly, whatever painkiller he was on was a strong one.

"What?" Lightning moaned, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Just a small one," Lightning sighed.

The flight attendant handed over a small can of oil.

"What's going on?" Lightning asked, waking up some more.

"Nothing much. Mater and Holley are watching a movie, and I think your mother's flirting with Sherriff-."

"WHAT!" Lightning exclaimed, spinning around to try and find his mother. Sally burst out laughing.

"That sure woke you up in a hurry!" she exclaimed. She stopped laughing when she saw Lightning wincing in pain. "Sorry, Stickers! I didn't know you'd react that way. Come and park beside me again."

Lightning sheepishly did so, taking care not to hurt his side again.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah. Man, that hurt! It didn't hurt anywhere near as badly yesterday."

"You were high on adrenalin, that's why. Settle down now. We still have a few more hours to go before we land."

"Who's coming with us to Nashville?"

"Your mother, Mater and Holley. The rest need to get back home."

Lightning nodded thoughtfully. "I hope this inquiry finishes before the start of next season. I want to get back to racing as soon as my side heals."

"Have they announced you as this year's winner yet?"

"No. They're holding off on that until after the inquiry finishes. Guess they're just trying to cover themselves."

"Yeah." Sally nuzzled closer to Lightning. "We still have our wedding to plan, you know."

"Yeah. Guess we should start thinking about that soon, shouldn't we? We should start by choosing the date."

"I'd like a summer wedding, but that'll interfere with your racing schedule too much."

"Yeah." Lightning sighed tiredly. "Now I wish we lived in Australia all the time. Their off-season is during the summer."

"What a great idea!" Sally exclaimed.

"What is?"

"Getting married in Australia! We could have our wedding in January, and be back here in time for the racing season!"

Lightning was astonished. "Sally…!"

"What?"

"You're a genius! Do you really think we can do it though?"

"I don't see why not. I'm sure all your new friends would be happy to help us find a suitable venue and all. And having it in Australia would help deter the media. I noticed that the Australian media weren't terribly interested in you, so unless the wedding location is leaked, it would be a very private wedding, which is what we want."

"Maybe we should have a back-up venue, just in case."

"Good idea. I'll start making the arrangements as soon as we get home."

"Do you mean, 'home' as in Radiator Springs, or just America in general?"

"The latter," Sally smiled.

They'd just started nuzzling each other again, when Mater suddenly screamed.

"Sorry, everyone!" Holley shouted as she removed her headphones. "We're watching Frankenstein!"

Everyone in business class laughed.

Many hours later, in the early afternoon local time, the plane landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport. Lightning glanced nervously out of the window as the plane made its way slowly towards the gate.

"It'll be okay, Lightning," Sally soothed. "We'll just have to move really quickly."

"Maybe I should've asked Ramone to repaint me in plain red," Lightning sighed. "I wouldn't stand out so much then. Can you see any police officers?"

"No. Just stay calm. Legally, they can't arrest you, because you haven't missed the court date yet."

"I know, but they can still follow me."

"Good luck, guys," Sherriff said as the Radiator Springs townsfolk began to exit the plane.

"Thanks," Lightning smiled. "We'll need it."

"Just watch your backs," Sherriff added. "Inspector Jones sounds really dodgy to me."

Lightning frowned thoughtfully as Sherriff left. Finally, only Lightning, Sally, Elinor, Mater and Holley were left on the plane. A flight attendant came over to them.

"You can exit via the back door now," she told them. "Someone will meet you at the bottom of the ramp. They'll escort you over to Harv's private plane."

"Thanks for your help," Sally said as the five of them began to drive towards the back of the plane.

Ten minutes later, the five of them were safely aboard Harv's private plane. The agent was already on board, and he greeted them all warmly.

"You don't look that badly injured, Lightning," he observed as he drove around his client.

"That's because it's predominately internal," Lightning replied. "I've had all the surface dents repaired."

"I really like your V8 Supercars decals too. You should keep some of them."

"Maybe," Lightning smiled. "Now, what's been happening with the inquiry?"

"I'd rather wait until we take off before I answer that," Harv replied. "Bit noisy otherwise."

A few minutes later, the plane took off. Once it had reached cruising altitude, Harv turned to Lightning again.

"So, how many trophies did you get downunder?"

"Two."

"That's very good. Maybe Leyland's right. Maybe you should consider racing in other codes. You're not like the other Piston Cup racers. You can adapt far more easily than they can. Why don't you consider rallying? I know you really enjoy going off-road."

"Why don't we just see what happens in the inquiry before we discuss my racing future?" Lightning suggested. "I mean, I want to keep racing, of course, but I'd rather just wait and see what happens before I make any firm plans."

"I understand," Harv smiled. "So, are you planning to see inspector Jones when we arrive in Nashville?"

"Yes, although I'd much rather see him tomorrow morning. But I'd better get it over with though. When's Chick going to appear before the inquiry?"

"He's not."

"What?"

"Yeah, I can't understand it myself. His name doesn't appear on the witness lists."

"That's very odd. Do you think Inspector Jones sounds dodgy?"

"Yes."

"That's what I thought. You wouldn't happen to know what his first name is, would you?"

"I believe it was something starting with 'M'. Mark or Marcus or something like that."

Hearing the name Marcus, Lightning gasped. "Holley! Look up Marcus Jones, please!"

"Okay," Holley said as she brought up her holographic computer screen. She searched for a moment. "Okay, I think I've got him. Inspector Marcus Jones. Based out of Nashville. Graduated from Harvard Law School in 2010, and became a prosecution lawyer last year."

"Does it say which high school he went to?"

"Ah… Yes! Here it is. Highgrove Secondary School, Washington D.C."

Lightning groaned audibly, making everyone look at him. "Now it all makes sense!"

"What does?" Elinor asked.

"Marcus. Why he was so keen to try and have me arrested."

"Why?" everyone asked in unison.

"He bullied me for five years during high school!"

…

Several hours later, Lightning and Holley arrived at Inspector Jones' office in Nashville. It was late in the afternoon, but luckily, Inspector Jones was working late. Holley waited outside the office while Lightning knocked on the door. She was there just in case Lightning needed some legal back-up.

"Come in!"

Lightning entered the office to find Inspector Jones facing away from him. He was busy filing.

"Hello Marcus," Lightning smirked.

Startled, the young Inspector whipped around, and his eyes doubled in size. "Lightning! Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I'm here as your witness for the inquiry." He narrowed his eyes. "That is what you wanted me here for, isn't it? You know, I could never understand why you held such a grudge against me during high school. I never did anything to you, did I? Or was it because I was a millionaire's son, was that why? Guess nothing much has changed between us. I'm an internationally famous racer, and you're…a lawyer. Oh, and just a little piece of advice. If you want to go far in your profession, don't make enemies out of your witnesses by threatening to arrest them. I was perfectly willing to co-operate with you from the beginning, but I'm not so sure now. Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow in court." And with that, Lightning left the office, slamming the door behind him. He winced as a bolt of pain shot through his injured side, but the look on Marcus' face was worth it.

Marcus scowled as he watched Lightning leave. "I'll get you yet, McQueen. Just you wait!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 31

Lightning spent all day Monday resting in his hotel suite, catching up on jetlag. Sally and Elinor also rested, but whenever they were awake, they discussed wedding plans. Mater and Holley stayed in their own suite, where they could get up to their own mischief. Harv also had his own suite.

Shortly before dinnertime, Lightning woke up. He started stretching, and immediately regretted it.

"Ouch!"" he whimpered softly to himself. "I think that's a sign I need more painkillers."

Sighing, he checked his phone. There were eight missed calls, all from Leyland. _How on earth did I sleep through those? _he wondered. He dialled Leyland's number.

"Hello?" Leyland answered. He sounded tired.

"Hey, Leyland. It's me, Lightning."

"Oh, hey, Lightning. How's your side?"

"Sore, but I'll live. Sorry I missed all your calls. I was sleeping."

"All day?"

"Hard to believe, I know, but jetlag does that to you."

"Yeah. Anyway, I was trying to phone you to let you know that you and Craig won the Enduro Cup."

Lightning grinned. "Really?"

"Yup! Your trophy is in the mail as we speak. I'm sending it to Radiator Springs."

"Cool. Thank you so much for that, Leyland."

"It's the least I could do, considering how much you've helped us. Craig's still at the top of the Championship, and the team's well and truly on track to winning the Team's trophy. You did great, Speedster. Hope you heal up soon."

"Yeah. Thanks. Sorry, but I'm starving! Guess I'd better go."

Leyland chuckled. "Yeah. Talk to you again soon. Bye."

"Bye." Lightning hung up his phone. Then he drove into the common area of his suite. He wasn't surprised to find Sally and Elinor discussing wedding venues. Lightning drove into the kitchenette. "Is there anything to eat, mum?"

"We've already ordered take-away. It'll be delivered shortly. You can put the news on if you like."

Lightning did so, and he settled down in front of the TV. After a few headlines, an update of the Piston Cup inquiry came up. Lightning turned up the volume.

"The inquiry into corruption by Piston Cup officials continued today, with Dale Earnhardt Junior taking the stand," the reporter was saying. "Chief prosecutor, Inspector Jones, asked Junior about his involvement in ousting to corruption to the police. Junior replied that he was morally justified in doing so, and that he would've quit racing if there hadn't have been an inquiry."

The footage showed Junior outside the court, addressing the waiting media. "With the information I had at the time, I knew I couldn't keep quiet," he said. "Where's the fairness in racing if certain racers are allowed to get away with dangerous moves, while the rest of us are punished? The more I investigated, the more I uncovered. If my career is over after this, I won't be disappointed. I did the right thing, and I am not ashamed of being the whistle-blower."

The footage changed back to the reporter. "Now, we understand that the reigning Piston Cup Champion, Lightning McQueen, is due to appear before the court tomorrow. But as yet, there has been no sign of the Champion racer, who has spent the last two months racing in Australia. There are rumours going around that he's already left Australia, but it hasn't been confirmed. His no-show at his last scheduled race in Australia has left people asking just one question – where is Lightning McQueen? Is he still in Australia, or has he somehow managed to sneak back into America without being seen? Given Lightning McQueen's high profile, the latter is highly unlikely."

The report ended, and the next news item was shown. Lightning sighed heavily. Sally drove over to him, and she kissed him on the fender.

"You okay?"

"I don't know, Sal. Guess I'm just a bit nervous about what'll happen tomorrow."

"You'll be fine. Just answer their questions as honestly as you can."

"What I can't understand is why this is even at court at all?"

"Because it's a public inquiry," Sally explained. "You can't expect the corrupt Piston Cup officials to investigate themselves. The court had to preside over it to ensure it is a fair inquiry."

"Oh."

A knock sounded on the door, interrupting them. "Dinner's here," Sally announced, making Lightning smile.

…

The next morning arrived much too soon for Lightning. Especially when, looking down out of his hotel window, he saw a crowd of media cars parked outside.

"Okay, who told the media where I was?" he asked Sally and Elinor over breakfast.

"The hotel manager, probably."

Lightning gave a disgruntled sigh. Just then, Harv entered the suite.

"Have you seen the media outside?"

"Yes," Lightning replied.

"I've arranged for us to have a police escort to the courthouse."

Lightning breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just make sure you don't say anything to the media," Sally gently reminded him.

"I won't."

About an hour later, Lightning bravely left the hotel, surrounded by Sally, Elinor, Harv, Mater, Holley and about ten police officers. The media tried to press in closer, but were forced back, giving Lightning and those with him room to move. The reporters shouted questions at him from all directions.

"Lightning! Why did you go into hiding?"

"Do you have something to hide?"

"Are you going to keep your Australian sponsors stickers?"

"Did you enjoy your time in Australia?"

"Why did you miss your last race in Australia?"

"Was it so you could be back here in time for the inquiry?"

"Will you keep racing in the Piston Cup?"

Lightning ignored all the questions, but it wasn't easy. To keep himself focused, he followed his mother closely. He was glad that most of the reporters had no idea who she was. It was something he'd never made public.

They finally arrived at the courthouse. Upon entering the inquiry room, Lightning was surprised to see Chick Hicks smirking in a corner. The former racer no longer carried sponsors stickers, making his green paint appear brighter than ever before. Cringing, Lightning followed Elinor and Sally to the front of the enormous room. It wasn't a regular courtroom, but it still had a judge's stand. Lightning recognised a lot of fellow racers in the audience, including Junior and Strip. He also saw his bosses, Rusty and Dusty. They looked rather nervous.

Finally, Lightning saw Inspector Marcus Jones. They nodded civilly at each other. A few minutes later, the judge entered the room, and ongoing inquiry resumed.

"Inspector Jones?" the judge said. "Who would you like to call to the witness stand today?"

Marcus glared straight at Lightning. "Mr Lightning McQueen."

Lightning felt everyone's eyes focusing on him as he made his way boldly towards the witness stand. After he was sworn in, Marcus approached him.

"Mr McQueen. During the past…eight years that you've been racing in the Piston Cup, did you ever witness any corrupt dealings amongst the racing officials?"

"Not directly, no."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I heard rumours of oddities, but none of it affected me personally, so I never bothered with any of it."

"But, if you had suspicions, why didn't you report it?"

"Why would I? Nobody believes rumours anyway. I certainly didn't, and you should know that you can't report anything without evidence."

Marcus' face flushed a little as the audience started murmuring amongst themselves. Turning away from Lightning, Marcus consulted the notes on his desk. He realised now that he had to tread carefully. Lightning was obviously a lot smarter than he'd ever given him credit for.

"Let's take a case in point…" The audience quietened down as Marcus turned back to face Lightning. "Your tiebreaker race at the end of your Rookie season in 2006."

Lightning groaned audibly. "Not again!" he muttered.

"Mr Chick Hicks was obviously playing foul, and yet you chose not to file a complaint against him. Why not?"

"It's not up to me to file complaints. I can request it, but I've never seen a complaint form in my life!"

"But you didn't request one."

"What was the point?"

"Clearly, if you had filed a complaint, Mr Hicks would've, in all likelihood, been stripped of his Piston Cup."

"I am aware of that."

"So, I ask again, why didn't you file a complaint?"

Lightning glanced at Sally, who gave him a reassuring wink. "I had other things on my mind at the time," he replied without taking his eyes off Sally.

Marcus followed Lightning's gaze. He cleared his throat, bringing Lightning's focus back to himself.

For the next two hours, Marcus grilled Lightning intently, but none of Lightning's answers seemed to please him. He clearly wanted more. And, unbeknownst to Lightning, he did have more.

"Mr McQueen. I have one more anomaly I wish to question you about."

"Fire away," Lightning said, perhaps a little too confidently.

"Back in early 2007, you set a new track record at Daytona Speedway…"

Lightning nodded slowly, remembering.

"Afterwards, you were called before the officials. The discussion of the meeting was never recorded, and yet the time you set stood, and it remains unbeaten to this day. Can you tell us more about that meeting?"

Lightning let out a small sigh. "I can do my best, but it was a long time ago. Uh…" Lightning hesitated in thought. "We discussed how I managed to go so fast, and the track doctor verified that it was all legal."

Marcus waited for more, but Lightning had clearly finished. "Can you give us some more details?" he prompted.

Lightning hesitated again. "No…"

Smirking, Marcus consulted his notes. "That's funny, because according to your medical file, you have a condition called-."

"Objection!" Lightning interrupted. "Our medical records are confidential!"

The judge slammed his gavel. "Objection overruled. Medical records can be used in evidence. Carry on, Inspector Jones."

Lightning closed his eyes briefly, sinking down on his tyres. He knew that Marcus had him cornered. He immediately felt sick in his tank. Marcus drove closer to him, staring straight into Lightning's eyes.

"The reason you were able to go so fast, and break the track record, was because you suffer from Jaguar Syndrome."

The audience in the courtroom immediately erupted in excited conversation. Groaning softly, Lightning sank even further down onto his tyres, closing his eyes again. How he wished he could disappear and never be seen again! He couldn't believe what had just happened. Marcus was deliberately using this inquiry to reveal secret details about Lightning's private life. Secrets that Lightning had hoped would never become public knowledge.

The judge honked his horn loudly. "Order in the court! We'll adjourn for the day and reconvene again tomorrow at nine a.m."

The judge left and everyone started to disburse. Marcus cast Lightning another smirk before driving away. Lightning trembled, keeping his eyes tightly closed. He felt physically sick.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 32

As Lightning left the courthouse with his friends and family, the reporters mobbed him, pushing microphones in his face and questioning him all at once. Lightning hated that, but he kept on trying to push through the mob, supported by his friends and family. Most of the questions were too jumbled for him to understand, but one of them rang out clearly above the roar of the crowd.

"Lightning, do you have anything to say regarding Inspector Jones' allegations against you?"

Glancing to his right, Lightning saw Kori Turbowitz. Normally, Lightning trusted Kori more than any other reporter, but not today. The crowd quietened down when they saw that Lightning was about to speak.

"All I have to say is that I'm not the one on trial here. Inspector Jones has launched a personal vendetta on me, but I have a little message for him. He just messed with the wrong car. Now, GET OUT OF MY WAY!" And Lightning revved his engine as loudly as he could to get his point across. Intimidated, the reporters quickly parted, giving Lightning and those with him room to escape.

A little while later, Lightning, Sally, Elinor, Mater, Holley and Harv were back in Lightning's hotel suite. Harv was watching the news. Mater and Holley were playing a board game, and Elinor and Sally were preparing drinks for everyone. Lightning was busy on Harv's laptop, doing some research.

Sally brought a can of oil over to Lightning. "What are you researching?"

"Just stuff," he replied without looking up.

Sally looked at the screen again. "Jaguar Syndrome?" she read. "I would've thought you'd have known everything about that!"

"Not quite everything, I'm afraid. I'm trying to find out two things. One – how many racers in the Piston Cup also have Jaguar Syndrome, and two – where it states in the Piston Cup rules that we're allowed to race with Jaguar Syndrome."

"Section seven," Harv called out. "Subsection four, paragraph D."

"Thanks," Lightning replied.

"Hold up," Harv said, "There's a report on the news."

"I don't want to see it," Lightning told him, but Harv turned the volume up anyway. Kori Turbowitz was reporting from outside the courthouse.

"…and in a startling revelation today, the inquiry revealed that champion Piston Cup racer, Lightning McQueen has Jaguar Syndrome. Surprisingly, the defence lawyer is questioning the prosecution's handling of the inquiry. He feels that the way Inspector Jones is handling his witnesses is pushing the legal boundaries."

The footage changed to the reporter inside the newsroom. "Thank you, Kori. We'll cross live to New York City now, to America's only specialist in Jaguar Syndrome, Dr Spark."

Lightning immediately focussed his entire attention on the TV. His eyes widened a little when he saw his specialist on the screen.

"Dr Spark…" the reporter continued. "What can you tell us about Jaguar Syndrome?"

"Well, it's quite a rare condition," Dr Spark began. "It only affects about one in every five hundred thousand cars. It can affect other vehicles as well, but it's most common in cars. It occurs when a car is built with an engine that is too powerful for it. It's always a factory error."

"What are the symptoms and how is it diagnosed?"

"Most of the symptoms don't appear until the baby car is about two to three years of age. The most common symptom is a baby who has what we call 'attacks'. An attack occurs when the baby loses complete control of itself. They have bursts of uncontrollable energy, and then they'll sleep for hours. There are various tests we use to diagnose the condition, but I don't have time to go into them now."

"How is the condition treated?"

"The most usual treatment is the installation of a speed limiter, which remains in place until the cars reaches its teenage years. By that time, the attacks have usually ceased to be a problem."

"You are the leading expert in Jaguar Syndrome in America. Tell me, have you ever treated Lightning McQueen?"

Lightning gasped, and the sick feeling instantly returned to his tank. Dr Spark frowned sternly.

"How dare you ask me such a question on National TV?" he exploded. "The details of my patients are confidential, and if you want my opinion, Inspector Jones has acted unethically, if not illegally. Cut the interview. I refuse to answer any more questions."

Lightning breathed a sigh of relief as Dr Spark drove off the newsroom set. "Thank you, Dr Spark!" he whispered gratefully. He then dialled a number on his phone. It was answered immediately.

"I am NOT going to finish that interview!" Dr Spark thundered over the phone.

"And I'm very glad about that!" Lightning replied.

There was a pause, and then Dr Spark spoke again, this time in a whisper. "L-Lightning?"

"Hey. Thanks for not saying anything."

"It wasn't my place to say anything. I'm just leaving the studio now. What's up?"

"I need a favour."

"For you, anything."

"Tell me, how many racers currently racing in the Piston Cup actually have Jaguar Syndrome? You don't have to tell me any names," he added quickly. "I just need a number."

"I can answer that. There are currently six racers who have it, including yourself."

"Thanks. That's all I need for now."

"No problem. Good luck with the inquiry tomorrow."

"Thanks. I think I'll need it." Lightning hung up the phone, and he turned to his friends. "Turn that TV off, please Harv. I'm going to need everyone's help tonight."

"Uh-oh," Sally frowned. "I've seen that expression before. What have you got in mind now, Stickers?"

"I think I know how to get Marcus off my case for good!"

...

The following morning, Lightning, Sally, Elinor, Mater, Holley and Harv arrived at the courthouse a bit earlier than they had the day before. That way, they seemed to avoid most of the media pack. Lightning was very glad about that. He needed a bit of time before the inquiry resumed to collect his thoughts.

Before long, the inquiry resumed. Lightning was called to the witness stand once again, but this time he felt much more confident. He had the evidence he needed to bring both Marcus and the inquiry to its axles.

Marcus drove over to Lightning, armed with his first question. "Mr McQueen? How did you get Jaguar Syndrome?"

Lightning froze momentarily. He hadn't been prepared for Marcus to ask him such a confronting question straight away. Marcus was obviously feeling bold after what he'd done the day before. Then Lightning smirked as he remembered what Sally had told him the night before – 'Attack is the best form of defence'. He glared straight at Marcus, hoping that he was mentally strong enough for this.

"How dare you!" he said slowly and evenly. "How dare you try to make me discuss confidential Family Court secrets at a public inquiry! If you knew anything about the law, you'd know that you can't use evidence from one trial as evidence in another."

Marcus immediately paled, and he reversed a bit. The judge looked at Lightning.

"Which case are you referring to, Mr McQueen?"

"McQueen vs Piston," Lightning replied.

"Thank you." He turned towards Marcus. "Inspector Jones. Your question was clearly out of order. Does the fact that Mr McQueen has Jaguar Syndrome have any bearing on the current inquiry? Because if it doesn't…"

"I can assure you, Your Honour, it does."

"How?" Lightning asked.

"Err…" Marcus hesitated, obviously trying to gather up his thoughts. "Well, you wouldn't have been able to break that record if you didn't have Jaguar Syndrome."

"Really? And what makes you say that? You've got no proof that I wouldn't have been capable of breaking the record."

"You went faster than two hundred miles an hour."

"So?"

"Most Piston Cup racers can't go that fast."

"But some can. Did you know that there are currently six racers in the Piston Cup who have Jaguar Syndrome, including myself?"

Marcus looked genuinely surprised. "Who?"

"That is none of your business, Marcus."

That made everyone in the inquiry room gasp. The judge looked at Lightning in surprise.

"Marcus? Do you know Inspector Jones?"

"Of course," Lightning replied smoothly. "We went to high school together, didn't we? He was the bully and I was the bully's victim. Now he's just trying to get his own back 'cause I beat him up once."

The audience began chattering excitedly amongst themselves. The judge slammed his gavel.

"Order!"

The room gradually fell silent again. Before Marcus could say anything else, Lightning turned to face the judge.

"Your Honour. Last night, my lawyer and I did all the investigation work that Mar- Inspector Jones should have been doing, instead of waging a public war on me. May I have you permission to present our evidence to the inquiry?"

"Objection!" Marcus shouted desperately, but he was silenced by the judge's gavel.

"Objection overruled. You may present the evidence, Mr McQueen."

"Thank you, Your Honour," Lightning said graciously. "May I have your permission to invite my lawyer, Miss Carrara, to the witness stand?

The judge nodded. Marcus opened his mouth to protest again, but a stern glare from the judge made him retreat behind his desk. Sally drove over to Lightning.

"Thank you, Your Honour," she said sweetly. "Our investigations last night resulted in several alarming revelations against the Piston Cup officials; which is what this inquiry was set up to investigate." Sally paused to glare pointedly at Marcus. "It was NOT set up to investigate the conduct of the Piston Cup racers. If there is any fault with them, that is up to the officials to investigate. And now that I've made my point, I'd like to present my evidence."

The judge nodded again. Using her tyres, Sally opened up a file.

"Your Honour. My investigation has proven that there are several officials who have close, personal relationships with some of the racers. The most notable of these relationships is that of Mr Dave Axle, the Chief Piston Cup official; Mr Tex Dinoco and Mr Chick Hicks."

Sally paused as a slight murmur rang through the audience. She turned her attention directly to Chick, and she drew in a sharp breath before she spoke again.

"Mr Axle and Mr Dinoco are first cousins, and Mr Hicks is Mr Dinoco's illegitimate nephew!"

The room immediately erupted again until the judge slammed his gavel. Sally promptly continued.

"This connection is significant, because during his racing career, Mr Hicks obviously used this strong family connection to get away with most, if not all, of his illegal racing! It would certainly explain why all the complaints made against him mysteriously disappeared, and why Mr Hicks was able to get away with dangerous racing!"

"Stop him!" Lightning suddenly shouted upon seeing Chick starting to make his way to the door. Luckily, Mater was close to the door, and he quickly caught Chick by his rear axle with his tow hook.

"Hey!" Chick exclaimed. "Put me down you great heap of junk! You can't arrest me!"

"Oh, can't I?" Mater smirked. "I believe I'm entitled ta make a citizen's arrest! Holley!"

Holley aimed her tazer at Chick. "Going so soon, Chick? Why don't you hang around for a while? You might hear some more things you didn't want uncovered."

The judge slammed his gavel. "You are both out of order! Release him immediately! This inquiry is adjourned until further notice! Inspector Jones? I want to see you privately in my office immediately."

Marcus shot Lightning a cold glare. Lightning flinched. If looks could kill…

**Please review! Sorry this update has been so long in coming. I've been busy with other writing for my university degree. Hope you're all enjoying my work so far! **


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. **

Chapter 33

Five days later, it was all over. The Piston Cup officials pled guilty to corruption, and they agreed to pay out-of-court settlements of a hundred thousand dollars each. They were also banned from ever being associated with the Piston Cup again. Tex was banned from owning or sponsoring a team for a period of five years, and he also had to pay a fine. Chick was stripped of his 2006 Championship, and the trophy was awarded to The King at a private function held for all the past and present Piston Cup racers, their teams, and closest friends and family members. The new officials were also introduced at the same function. Lightning wasn't at all surprised when Strip was named as the new Chief official.

"Guess this means I'll have to find someone else to be my new crew chief next year," he muttered to himself during the dinner. He turned to Sally. "Whatever happened to Marcus?"

"Last I heard, he was quietly disciplined. I don't know any more than that, sorry. Oh, but your restraining order against him went through, so he shouldn't bully you ever again."

"Serves him right, the jerk," Lightning mumbled.

Rusty and Dusty drove over.

"Hey, Lightnin'!" Dusty greeted him.

"Hey guys."

"We just thought we'd remind you that you haven't yet signed your contract for next year," Rusty said.

Lightning hesitated. He'd been avoiding his bosses because of this. "Can we talk somewhere private?"

"Da back room's free," Mater whispered to them.

"Thanks, Mater."

Lightning led the way to the back room. Once he and his bosses were inside, he closed the door. Rusty and Dusty immediately began checking the room for listening devices.

"I think it's safe to talk," Dusty finally said. "So, why haven't you signed on for next year?"

Lightning sighed. "It's because I've been doing a lot of thinking while I was in Australia. Leyland suggested that maybe I should try other racing codes. I'm not sure yet what I want to do, and with the Piston Cup the way that it is at the moment…"

"Lightning, without you, the Piston Cup will fall apart," Rusty said seriously.

"Oh, I don't think so. I mean, yeah, this has been a low point for the series, but it'll bounce back. I don't like the new ruling much either."

"What? That all racers who have Jaguar Syndrome must have speed limiters installed?" Dusty asked.

"Yeah."

"It's fair," Rusty added.

"I HATE speed limiters!"

"You had one in Australia."

"I know, but that was for safety reasons. I learned very quickly that without it, I would've gone flying off the racetrack! Literally!"

Someone knocked on the door. "Who's in there?"

"We'll discuss this later," Lightning said. "We've got several months before next season starts, but I think you should start looking for another racer."

Lightning didn't wait to see what Rusty and Dusty thought about that! He returned to his place just in time for Strip's speech.

"Ladies and gentlecars! May I have your attention please? I know we've already seen one trophy presentation tonight, but now it's time for another. Owing to the decision to end the Piston Cup series early this year, we need to present this year's trophy to our winner by default. I know we all know who that is, but just to confirm…"

Strip paused to wait for a slide to come up on the blank wall beside him.

"…As you can all see, our winner by a clear margin is, Lightning McQueen. Lightning? Come up here to get your trophy."

Lightning drove over to the dais amidst loud applause. He graciously accepted his seventh Piston Cup before going over to the microphone.

"I guess I've still got one more Championship to win before I equal your new record of eight Piston Cup, right Strip?" Lightning said teasingly, making everyone laugh. "Thanks guys for your support throughout the past few weeks. I know we were all under stress during that inquiry, but now it's time for us to move on. Let's make the next season one to remember, and I'm looking forward to some more competition!"

A general murmur of agreement rang through the audience, followed by another round of applause. Lightning then returned to his table, with his Piston Cup. He let out a small sigh.

"Something wrong?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it now."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

…

The following day, Lightning, Sally, Mater, Holley and Elinor finally returned to Radiator Springs. While everyone else was settling back down, Lightning went into the racing museum. He respectfully placed his Piston Cup alongside the others he had in his collection. Sighing, he looked at his Piston Cups for a moment, before noticing a different trophy amongst them. Looking closer, he saw that it was the Enduro Cup.

Lightning looked again at his Piston Cups. Then he looked at Doc's three Piston Cups on the other side of the room. He then looked back at the Enduro Cup. In his mind's eye, he relived all of the experiences he'd had in Australia – all the highs and the lows. His first V8 Supercars race at Sandown… Winning Bathurst and nearly killing himself in the process… Injuring himself at the Gold Coast 600… Proposing to Sally… Surfing with Jaime… Having Leyland shouting at him over the radio…

Sighing again, Lightning left the museum. He was immediately mobbed by fans, all begging for his autograph. But when they saw how tired Lightning appeared, the fans gave him some room. Lightning quickly thanked them, before he drove away slowly up the road. He had a lot to think about.

Sally found Lightning overlooking Willy's Butte a short time later. She parked quietly beside him.

"How come you're not practicing?"

"I can't, remember? I fractured my anti-roll bar."

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I forgot." Sally paused, and then she looked at Lightning again. "You're slipping back into that despondent phase you were in before you went to Australia, aren't you?"

"Yes," Lightning sighed. "I can't believe how much I actually miss it. There was something…I don't know… Special about it, I guess. I felt accepted. Like I was one of the team. Like I'd been racing with them for years. I'm sorry. This is difficult to explain."

"I think I understand," Sally said softly as she snuggled closer to him.

At that moment, Lightning's phone rang. "Sorry," he apologised to Sally before he answered it. "Hello, yes?"

"Hey, Speedster."

Lightning grinned. "Leyland! It's good to hear from you again. The Enduro Cup arrived safely."

"That's good. Look, I heard about what happened with the Piston Cup inquiry. Bit of a kerfuffle, wasn't it?"

"What?" Lightning was confused.

"Whoops! Sorry. Forgot you were American. I know I have an Aussie accent now, but I'm originally from England, so I sometimes use British words. I meant, it was a bit crazy, wasn't it?"

"Uh… Yeah, I guess."

"How's your side healing up?"

"It doesn't hurt me quite as much as it used to. I probably should have it x-rayed again to make sure it's healing correctly."

"Well, I sure hope it is. Listen, I don't know what you're planning to do next year, but I've got a proposal to put to you."

"I'm listening."

"How would you like to come and race in the V8 Supercars? Permanently?"

"What? Permanently?"

"Well, for the next two years at least. You see, in the V8s, we have a preliminary series known as the Development Series. It's for racers who are looking to race with the V8s full-time. Nearly all of the current V8 Supercar racers competed in it before they were picked up by a team. That's how we found Jamie. Craig raced overseas before he started in the V8s. The series is also used to let us test out new parts and gadgets that might help us improve your racing. If the new parts do well in the Development Series, they're picked up by the full-time V8 racers. Anyway, our current Development Series racer has decided not to continue racing next year, which leaves us with a vacant spot on the team. You did so well for us during the Enduro Cup, that I thought I'd give you the first refusal. If you do well in the Development Series, you might be able to join the V8s full-time the following year. Sorry, I know I'm going on a bit."

"It's okay," Lightning sighed. "Look, I honestly don't know what I'm going to do next year. I haven't yet signed on for another year with Rust-Eze, so I'm currently available for anything that comes up. I loved my time in Australia, but…"

"But?"

"But I should keep racing in the Piston Cup. To help keep it going, you know."

"Lightning," Leyland said warmly. "I can respect that this won't be an easy decision for you to make. Go and do some research. I'll hold your spot in the Development Series until the end of November. If I don't hear from you by then, I'll offer it to someone else. Just so you know, it'll be an honour to have you on our team for a while, and I know it'll do you a lot of good to. I saw a big change in you while you were racing in the Enduro Cup. At Sandown, you were a bit unsure of yourself, but at Bathurst I saw the change starting to show. Then at the Gold Coast, you were a hundred percent focussed on racing, and you were clearly enjoying yourself."

"Yeah, I guess I did really enjoy it."

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life racing in a bowl? Because that's all the Piston Cup really in. One large bowl after another, going around and round in endless circles. Just think about it, okay? I look forward to hearing from you soon. Bye."

"Bye, Leyland." Lightning hung up his phone.

"What did he want?" Sally asked.

"He wants me to race in Australia… Full-time."

"And… Do you want to?"

Lightning turned to face Sally. He smiled slightly. "I do, actually. I'm really starting to miss it. But I won't go without you."

"We're engaged, Lightning. Where you go, I'll go."

"But… What about your business? What about Radiator Springs?"

"They'll still be here when we get back."

"But… Leyland wants me to race in Australia for the next two years!"

"Sounds nice."

"Sal! I'm gonna need more time to think about this."

"You were so happy in Australia. And if that's the only place where you can enjoy racing again, then we should go. Elinor can look after the Cozy Cone. I've been teaching her."

"And that's another thing! How can I leave my mother? Or Mater? Or…everyone!"

"Lightning Blaze McQueen," Sally said firmly, but kindly. "You've already done so much for everyone here. It's time you did something for yourself. Otherwise, when you eventually retire from racing, you'll end up grumpy and sour because you weren't satisfied with your achievements."

Lightning sighed with frustration. "Why does it have to be so hard?"

"You're making it hard, that's why. As far as I can see, it's easy. Phone Harv and tell him about Leyland's offer. If he genuinely cares about you like an agent should, he'll understand. And, if not, then it's his problem to deal with."

"Yeah."

"Call him."

Exhaling deeply, Lightning dialled Harv's number.

…

A few weeks later, Lightning found himself back at the Piston Cup headquarters in Nashville. This time, only Sally had come with him. Mater and Elinor had also wanted to come with him, but Lightning had insisted that they remain in Radiator Springs. His friends had been both sad and excited when he'd informed them of his decision, and he was glad to have their support. Now, all he had to do was tell the world.

Harv drove over to him. "They're ready when you are."

Lightning took a deep breath as he turned to face Sally. "I couldn't do this without you by my side."

"Speaking of sides, how is it?"

"It's healing correctly," Lightning smiled. "I should be right to race again after Christmas."

They kissed passionately. Harv coughed deliberately.

"Let's go," Lightning whispered.

Together, Lightning and Sally drove into the large press room. Inside, the room was full to the brim with reporters and camera cars. Lightning drove to the centre of the dais. Sally parked on his right, and Harv parked on his left. The room fell silent. None of the reporters knew what Lightning was about to say, but since Lightning very rarely did press releases, they knew it was something big. Lightning knew that what he was about to say would be broadcast live on several TV networks. He drew in a deep breath.

"Thank you all for coming. I have called for this press release today to inform you that, after much consideration, I have decided to spend the next two years racing with the Redbulldozer Racing Team in the V8 Supercar Series in Australia."

He paused as some of the reporters started murmuring, but they quickly fell silent again.

"This has not been an easy decision for me to make, but I enjoyed myself so much while I was there that returning to the Piston Cup was almost like driving in reverse. I learned a lot about myself while I was racing in the Enduro Cup, and after I returned home, I realised just how much I would miss it." Lightning paused, unable to remember what else he'd been intending to say.

"Are there any questions?" Harv asked.

"Will you live in Australia?"

"Yes," Lightning replied. "Like the rest of the team, I intend to be based out of Brisbane."

"Do you intend to return to the Piston Cup after the two years?"

"I don't see why not. By then it should, hopefully, be much more of a challenge for me."

"Are you just using this to escape the new Piston Cup ruling for racers who have Jaguar Syndrome?"

"Actually, I'd forgotten all about that new ruling," Lightning chuckled. "But in the V8s, we all have to race with speed limiters. Otherwise, we'd literally go flying down Conrod Straight at Bathurst! I nearly did, and I was only pushing a hundred and eighty six miles an hour! Just imagine what we'd be like racing without a speed limiter!"

The reporters chuckled quietly.

"Three more questions," Harv said firmly.

"How have your bosses reacted to this decision?"

"They're disappointed, of course, but I did warn them a few weeks ago that I might not return to the Piston Cup. They've already found another racer for next year."

"Can we ask who?"

"It's no secret. Jimmy."

The reporters were clearly surprised. Lightning quickly explained.

"He was manipulated by Tex to drive recklessly on the racetrack. I don't blame him at all. He's still young and naïve, but he deserves another chance. I hope you'll all give him one."

"One last question," Harv said.

"When will you leave for Australia?"

"In the New Year. I'll attend the team's training camp in Abu Dhabi, then we'll go to Sydney for a weekend of testing. After that, the racing season will begin. I can't deny I'm really looking forward to it."

"That's enough questions for now," Harv said firmly. "Thank you all for coming."

Taking the hint, Lightning started to leave the dais, followed by Sally and then Harv. But he was stopped by Kori.

"Lightning. I hope you'll grant me an interview before you leave."

"One interview," Lightning told her firmly. "I've had enough of having my private life invaded by the press."

"I promise, I-I won't ask you any personal questions."

"I'm sorry, Kori. I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I'll be happy to do an interview with you just as soon as you wish."

"Next Monday? Two o'clock?"

"Sure. Where?"

"How about Radiator Springs?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you there."

Nodding happily in agreement, Kori drove away. Sally planted a kiss on Lightning's fender.

"So, are you ready for your next adventure, Stickers?"

Lightning gave Sally a passionate kiss on the lips. "I'm always ready for a new adventure."

**The End**

**I'd just like to thank those who wished me good luck with my degree. Stay tuned for my next sequel, Lightning's Aussie Adventures! I will write this after I've written some other FanFiction stories I've had planned for awhile now. Thank you to those who reviewed this story. Your reviews helped keep me motivated. **


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